'Mind Gym' to Aid Study of Mental Agility

The antÉ Institute for Research in Anticipatory Systems at UT Dallas will study ways to keep aging minds active and adaptive with the help of a “Mind Gym” installed at a Dallas retirement community.

The Mind Gym, offered at the C.C. Young continuing care facility, is a series of games that addresses both the cognitive and motoric capabilities of humans.

The antÉ Institute, with Dr. Mihai Nadin as director, has a research agenda that includes Project Seneludens, conceived with the specific aim of addressing aging and its consequences from a new perspective that involves games and brain plasticity. 

According to Dr. Nadin, the major scientific hypothesis underlying the project is that the decline in adaptive capabilities, which aging entails, can be compensated through brain plasticity.  The antÉ Institute will deploy its proprietary “Anticipation Scope” to gather important data on human motion dynamics relevant to aging and to test the effectiveness of such games.

The Mind Gym uses XaviX Technology, developed by the SSD Company Ltd.

The framework of the agreement began in 2005 with XaviX providing equipment to the antÉ Institute for Research in Anticipatory Systems.  Key players in the collaboration were Ken Durand, president  & CEO of C.C. Young; Dr. Nadin, director of the antÉ Institute for Research in Anticipatory Systems at UT Dallas; and Peter Newman, general manager of SSD Company Ltd./XaviX.

Dr. B. Prabhakaran

The long-term collaboration will also include Dr. B. Prabhakaran of UT Dallas’ Computer Science Department, his team and the Motion Capture Lab.  Eventually, students involved in computer science, cognitive science and serious game development will join in the research.

C.C. Young, located on White Rock Lake in the heart of East Dallas, has been recognized for leadership in development of programs for the aged and its vision of life-long learning and creativity. The Point, Center for Arts and Education, a stand-alone new $6.7 million cultural arts center, is available to all seniors in the community and will house the Mind Gym.

SSD was founded in 1995 with a vision of creating innovative, new generational products that use technology to deliver enrichment, enjoyment and social interaction to people of all ages.  XaviX is the name for a multiprocessor chip underlying the development of a line of products and games for physical fitness, education and interactive sports. 

The company develops avenues for deploying their products in various communities of shared interest. SSD is actively involved in collaborative projects and technical investment with innovative companies around the world.

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