Therapainting: Interactive Art-Therapy Tool Based on Head Movements and Eye Blinks

Abstract

Therapainting is a system based on head movements and eye blinks that allows the artistic expression for therapeutic purposes. Head movements and eyes blinks are respectively detected by accelerometers and electroencephalographic electrodes mounted on the headband MUSE developed by InteraXon from Toronto, Canada. On the basis of different exercises for people with spinal cord injuries, Therapainting makes use of head movements to move a paint brush across a screen, and eye blinks to select randomly different colors. Therapainting has been tested in non-controlled environments and by users of all ages at the Modern Art Museum, and at a high school of Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Mexico. User evaluation were carried out through the User Experience Questionnaire, which showed that Therapaining was considered as an interesting, exciting, innovative and leading edge system.