Virtual Booth

Human movement is essential for daily tasks, with fine motor skills playing a crucial role in early childhood development. This project introduces a digital fine motor training system, created using MIT App Inventor, to facilitate fine motor skills in children. The system features three interactive tasks, i.e. Tap the Picture, Be a Painter, and Trace the Line, accompanied by a reward system utilizing audio and lighting. Non-invasive electromyography (EMG) data were collected from flexor muscles during task completion in two children and two older adults, one with a prior muscle injury. EMG data were processed through a Butterworth bandpass filter, followed by rectification and linear enveloping. The EMG data were analyzed in time and frequency domains. Results showed that older participants demonstrated higher muscle activity during simpler tasks, compensating for neuromuscular declines with age, while children exhibited lower muscle activity, especially in more complex tasks. In the Trace the Line task, participants exerted the most muscle force, highlighting the need for precision and control. The mean absolute value of muscle activity increased with task complexity, emphasizing the role of challenging activities in enhancing fine motor engagement. Healthy older adults performed better in motor control tasks, while children, especially those not yet in kindergarten, showed a need for further development in fine motor skills. The findings suggest that the developed interactive digital platforms can support fine motor skill development in children and help older adults maintain muscle function.