“Positive Bike” – An immersive biking experience for combined physical and cognitive training of elderly patients

Previous evidence shows that combined cognitive and physical exercises (dual-task intervention, (I-DT)) potentiates cognitive performance more than either type of single training alone (Lauenroth et al., 2015). Here, we describe the rationale, the design and the implementation of the “Positive Bike”, a fully-immersive virtual reality biking experience for implementing I-DT training protocols in older patients. The system consists of a cycle-ergometer positioned within a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). The system also features a cloud-based platform which allows the therapist to configure the exercise parameters (i.e, duration and load). Using the Positive Bike, the patient can take a virtual ride by physically pedalling at variable paces within a simulated scenario (i.e., a park). During the virtual ride, the patient can be presented with different interactive cognitive exercises (attentional, memory etc). In one of such exercises, for example, the patient has to recognize different animals appearing on the route sides and press a button if such animal has a name beginning with a specific letter. Potential applications of Positive Bike in geriatric wellness and rehabilitation are discussed.