AJANS ÜNİVERSİTE – Translation: Bilge, Zeynep

The rector of IU Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak has stated that the method of treatment with game sensors which is put into action in IU Health Sciences Faculty (SABIF) Physiotherapy and Meditation Center as an example to show how technology is integrated into current education at the university, has great importance for society as well. As Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak has stated that producing projects that create added-value and representing our country in scientific fields with success, Istanbul University is an important building stone in international competitions and adds, “Istanbul University is a science base for Turkey with its potentiality regarding technology.”

Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak has said, “We are the first center to have started treatment with game sensors. We need such innovative approaches for scientific studies. In our country, these kinds of activities will become more common. I congratulate our academicians for leading such a study. We will continue to support our academicians for different projects.”

Rehabilitation and Technology United at IU SABIF

An important result of Istanbul University’s steps to become a technology and research university emerged in IU SABIF Physiotherapy and Meditation Center. At IU SABIF Physiotherapy and Meditation Center, patients receive treatment thanks to game sensors. Technological rehabilitation is applied to people with paralysis of the brain, rheumatism, and children and adults who are paralyzed from birth.

Asst. Prof. Ela Tarakçı, department vice president of IU SABIF, in her statement, said that technology is an inseparable part of our lives and she explained how they turned it into a good opportunity as, “Technology has become a part of our lives so much that we have started to complain. Especially families complain about how much time their children spend with their technological devices. We actually turned this complaint into an opportunity. We united physiotherapy methods and rehabilitation exercises with game sensors.”

“We Are Creating A Virtual Environment”
In Istanbul University SABİF Physioteraphy and Rehabilitation Centre children who need physioteraphy and rehabilitation have started doing the activities which they could not have done before in their daily lives with the help of technology. Making them to do exercise is very difficult that technology and rehabilitation were combined and game consoles are used in physioteraphy. Associate Professor Dr. Tarakçı indicated that children choose suitable games for their special parts. He also said that‘’ In the content of our practices in rehabilitation sometimes we try to develop the balance in our patients, increase the flexibility and increase the muscle power. With these sensors movements are perceived and controlled easily. We create a virtual environment and make people do the activities in this environment. This helps us perceive the movements during the exercises and make a come-back to the patients.’’

“The Technique Can Be Integrated Into All Patients”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tarakçı indicated that they work with engineers and exercises which they suggest for children are done with games. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tarakçı said that, ‘’ We are experts of exercise but we need to transform these into a software. Therefore, we cooperated with engineer teachers and started to write games for treatment. With these games we also developed practices.’’
He indicated that the technique is not developed to be aimed at a determined group of patients. They can integrate this technique into all patients who need exercise and physioteraphy.

“First Centre in Turkey”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tarakçı indicated that there are many centres in Turkey and overseas which practices treatment with game consoles but he also said that, ‘’ We are the first centre in Turkey. For now, according to the comments we have received from our experts, families and patients our project gives positive results.’’ He finished his speech with these words: ‘’ Our community became very inadequate having physical activities both for adults and children. One of our aims is this practise to prevent obesity which is one of the most important problems in our age. Soon, we will start a project like this. We will investigate the effectiveness of the projects that we run for preventing obesity before it starts. We think that generalising this in all schools, existent physical education lessons and in addition to these physioteraphy and exercise practices which are done with game consoles will prevent obesity formation.