Design and Implementation of an Interactive Photoplethysmography and Galvanic Skin Response Based Gamepad

ABSTRACT

Mental disorders in the young adult population are becoming more frequent, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to the need to find new ways to adapt to therapeutic methods, offering greater attractiveness for this age range, and in many studies, it has been reported that this can be achieved thanks to video games. In this work, a controller design for video games that allows to obtain some of the most relevant biological signals of the relationship between the physiological state and the mental state of the user is proposed. An accessible and non-invasive instrument was built, in the form of a video game controller, to make measurements of heart rate and the galvanic response of the skin, two physiological variables that play a vital role in determining a person’s emotional state, that allows, in turn, to play video games that are designed to be able to perform actions based on the measurements of biosignals, such as modifying the difficulty, improving the user experience, etc. Making use of two biosignal sensors (photoplethysmography and galvanic skin response), the controller is developed to offer non-invasive biofeedback while playing computer video games, which provides an effective approach to developing interactive and customizable diagnostic and therapeutic psychological tools. This work, which involves the unification of various ideas and fields, could mean an advance in the field of the development of digital alternatives for therapies related to mental health, as well as a tool that allows a greater approach on the part of the community to which it is focused. This may mean that, in future developments, there is greater cohesion and a greater boom in treatments for people considered young adults. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.