Scientific journal

European Journal of Natural History

ISSN 2073-4972

ИФ РИНЦ = 0,301

The principle of the biological feedback gives an opportunity to the patient to become an active subject of the curing process instead of being passive object of the medical manipulations.

The urgency of the game biocontrol varients is guaranteed by the constant grows of stress, leading to numerous physiological and psychological deseases.

The computer game training apparatus contains several game plots which have an obvious or a concealed competitive character. The course of competition is regulated with dynamics of a registered physiological parameter: it may be a pulse rate, a cuteneous temperature, a galvanic skin reflex, CO₂ concentration in an exhalant air. The patient can win the competition in case if he learns how to control his physiological function in a situation of a virtual competitive stress. Colorful game plots, created with the use of the modern multimedia technologies, raise the motivation of a trained patient, contribute to more effective fixation of the autoregulation skills. [O.A. Jafarova, M.B. Sthark, 2003]. In the course of the game training a man gets an invaluable ability to resist stress and different deseases, to learn how to react on conflict situations in a new way, to reduce an excessive inner tension in that case when he needs an additional capacity for work, conation and mobilization of attention.

There are some known biocontrol games, developed in Scientific Research Institute (SRI) of molecular biology and biophysics of Russian Academy of  Medical Sciences in Novosibirsk. Game hardware-software complex "Bos-Pulse" was permitted by Ministry of Health of Russian Federation for release and treatment -and - reabilitation technology of computer game biocontrol is recommended  by the Academic Counsil of the Russian Ministry of Health.

It should be mentioned about the disadvantages of these games. First of all, the technical realization of the examined games is carried out  in the near actual time that is connected with a sensor construction and multitask Windows environment.

Secondly, all these games are based on the control of a certain parameter, a pulse rate (magic cubes, car race, row channel skin divers), or an amplitude of B-rhythm of Electroencephalogram  (planting of flowers), or CO₂  concentration in an expiration air (Martian wars). By the way, it is well-known, that the reaction of a separate organism functional system on the environmental changes always "is an integration of a large quantity of factors, none of which can be changed separately in such way to become quite  efficient" [Barkroft, 1937]. It is connected with the multifrequent codes´ structure  of physiological process biocontrol. 

Experimental research, conducted at cell, tissues, organs level, showed  that biological codes are multifrequent and their efficiency depends on a certain proportion in a complicatively modulated total signal.  Also it was identified that a single wave-length action is dumped actively by an organism at the addressed level due to over - and underlying levels of homeostatic regulation. (S.L. Zaguskin, 1986).

That´s why using for  biocontrol  of one, even a very important parameter instead of a  multifrequent code may not be only effective, but also harmful.

Therefore, the development of biocontrol game technologies, based on the use of multifrequent codes, refers to the urgent problems of research.

The research has been done under the support of a grant РНП.2.2.3.3.3301 in accordance to the Problem Committee´s plans in chronobiology and chronomedicine of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences  (RAMS) and scientific work of the Faculty of Medicine in BelSU "The development of the universal devices of chronodiagnostics and biocontrol  on the base of biocyclical models and algorithm with usage of biological feedback parameters."

The aim of the research: to increase management efficiency in a functional condition of a man in a situation of a virtual competitive stress due to the usage of the multiparametrial management sygnal in the form of a pulse rate, respiration rate and their correlation.

The problems of research:

To develop the algorithms of the electrophysiological  data input, allowing to register, to process  and to analyze mathematically  the physiological signal  on the line.

To formulate the models of a game plot, managed by the physiological parameters of a pulse, respiration, and their correlation.

To develop the game environment models.

To conduct the parameterization of a management model of the human physiological functions including a pulse rate dynamics, a respiration rate dynamics and their correlations.

To develop and carry out a program device of a biomanagement technology in a virtual game environment.

The methods of research: in the research will be used the methods of systematic analysis, modeling,  mathematic statistics, the methods of registration and analysis of electrophysiological data  in the form of a pulse and respiration sensor and an examination of  rhythm.

The description of a system based on the biological feedback.

The projected system contains: a device of a pulse and respiration sensors conjunction with a personal computer and program package, providing a biomanagement technology in a virtual game environment.

Scheme (block 1) on the microcontroller plays the digitization function of analog signals (electropfysiological data input on line) from the sensors of a pulse and respiration (block 2 and block 3) with the following transmission  of the digital significance on protocol RS-232.

The program part of a system is based on a automobile emulator, in which an object of control is an automobile, run with the physiological  data sensors´ signals according to the developed algorithm.

The structural scheme of hardware is conducted in a module execution.

The main managing element of a system is a 8 bit microcontroller PIC16F870 of Microchip, working at a frequency 20 MHz and containing 2 kb of a program memory, 128 bytes of RAM and 64 bytes of interior EEPROM memory. To organize the connection with external devices, there is a module of a universal synchronous-asynchronous transceiver USART. To receive and process the analog data in chip there is a 5-chanel ADC. The pulse sensor data (channel 1) (blocks 1,2,3), the respiration sensor data (channel 2) (block 3), and also a supply voltage data of block 10, which is done as making up of 4 accumulators  VARTA (4x1,2V), comes to the analog input of a controller.

In the pulse sensor the signal is taken of a photocoupler (2), intensified in an operational amplifier (1), in which also in-phase components (disturbance)  are suppressed., then the signal is gated through the filter of low frequency (4), scaled (the amplitude of a signal is brought to 5 Volts) in block 5 and is given to the analog input ADC1 of a microcontroller 6.

In the respiration sensor the signal is taken of photocoupler 3 (it consists of a light diode and photodiode, located in front of each other) and given to the analog input ADC2 of a microcontroller 6. The data of a supply voltage comes to the analog input ADC3 of a microcontroller 6.

Module 7 serves to indicate the battery´s discharge and presence of a pulse sensor signal. The device is connected to the computer via port RS-232C. Microcontroller 6 exchanges data with the help of signal lines (input - RX and output - TX) of a transceiver USART using a driver RS232C with PC9.

The device works under the guidance of program modules, a part of which is stored in the internal nonvolatile FLASH program memory of a microcontroller 6.

The structural schema of a control algorithm is shown on picture 3. In program module 2 the initialization of the main registers of the microcontroller takes place. This program part is responsible for a setup of microcontroller´s hardware-software resources. Futher, according to the program the central processing device of control codes and their transmitting (codes of frequency of digitalization and activation of device) (program modules 3, 4, 5). In PM 6 the analog signals of inputs ADC 1,2,3 are transformed in to a digital form, in blocks 7,8  there is a check out on battaries´s discharge (in case, if the condition is fulfilled, the discharge indicator is on and the program does in cycles.) If the condition of discharge is not fulfilled, then consistency  in modules 11,12,13  a data package, consisting of a single synchrobyte, 2 bytes of digital data representation of respiration analog, and 1 byte of a control sum is transmitted on protocol RS232C to the computer.

Game environment consists of traffic lines which go through the cross-country.

Two automobiles take part in the game. The first one is run with rates corresponding to the physiological parameters of a pulse, a respiration, and their correlations. The second one is a program in accordance with given tasks.

The game begins with a joint start of two automobiles in a virtual city. Every circle passed by cars is subdivided into three parts: a virtual city, a forest and cross-country.

The city is presented with a residential area, streets, different types of houses, pavements, street lamps, trees, viaducts, fountains, side streets. The forest is represented with green plantations.

The ups and downs of a road are located in a cross-country among the hilly fields. The game is constructed in such a way, that every new circle automobiles move on a rout, quit different from the previous one. It has been done purposely to prevent the feeling of boredom and routine of a common plot with a patient.

Driving, that is changing the position of a car toward a rival car, is conducted according to a specially developed algorithm.

The control correlation is a pulse and respiration frequency.

A patient´s automobile takes the leading position in a satisfying correlation of a pulse and respiration. In the opposite case the situation changes on the contrary.

To preserve a game stress situation both automobiles are well-seen to the patient, in case he becomes a loser, his rival´s car is well seen and vice versa.

Different types of operators activity, which require the usage of physiological resources of activation or relaxation, have been used in the research. It depends on the usage of different strategies: directed to the success or the escape of the failure.

In the first case the player should increase heartbeat rate and the amplitude of β-rhythm of EEG. It makes the aim of increasing the speed of a playing object achievable.

The second strategy is connected with minimization of expenses, preserving the energetic resources and it is conducted with reducing of a pulse rate and increasing of an amplitude of α-rhythm.

If the player is active, his pulse grows is positive and the moving speed of the playing object is the smallest, achieving the aim becomes rather difficult.

All medical algorithms of two studied game strategies are developed by professor F.A. Pyatakovich and Assistant - professor K.F. Mackonen.

Table 2 - The algorithm of program for microcontroller

The article is admitted to the International Scientific Conference "Contemporary Problems of Experimental and Clinical Medicine", Thailand, 2007, January 17-28; came to the editorial office on 07.11.06.