Abstract Continuous hand therapy is necessary for children with spastic cerebral palsy to maintain motor function, but repetitive exercises can be demotivating, particularly during home therapy, where the absence of a therapist limits feedback and personalization. Technology-based therapies for hand rehabilitation are emerging as promising solutions, but the potential of smart toys with self-adaptive play complexity and machine learning is yet to be explored. This research presents the Magic Monster, a smart toy designed to motivate children to perform hand therapy at home. The toy combines playful interactions with AI for calibration and self-adapting play complexity to personalize therapy. The Magic Monster was designed following an iterative design approach and evaluated through a nonblind, randomized, multiple-baseline, AB single-case study that followed the SCRIBE guidelines. Five children with cerebral palsy (7–12 years) participated in a three-week home-based intervention. The findings show that smart toys have the potential to enhance motivation and engagement, highlighting its interactive, accessible, and cost-effective characteristics as a therapeutic tool. These results suggest that smart toys like the Magic Monster can play an important role as at-home rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy, offering a customized and enjoyable alternative to traditional therapy methods.
Cisneros et al. (Fri,) studied this question.