Adaptive virtual reality games for rehabilitation of motor disorders

  • Authors:

  • Minhua Ma;Michael McNeill;Darryl Charles;Suzanne McDonough;Jacqui Crosbie;Louise Oliver;Clare McGoldrick

  • Affiliations:

  • School of Computing and Information Engineering, University of Ulster, UK;School of Computing and Information Engineering, University of Ulster, UK;School of Computing and Information Engineering, University of Ulster, UK;Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Research Institute, University of Ulster, UK;Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Research Institute, University of Ulster, UK;Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Research Institute, University of Ulster, UK;Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Research Institute, University of Ulster, UK

  • Venue:
  • UAHCI'07 Proceedings of the 4th international conference on Universal access in human-computer interaction: ambient interaction
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

This paper describes the development of a Virtual Reality (VR) based therapeutic training system aimed at encourage stroke patients with upper limb motor disorders to practice physical exercises. The system contains a series of physically-based VR games. Physically-based simulation provides realistic motion of virtual objects by modelling the behaviour of virtual objects and their responses to external force and torque based on physics laws. We present opportunities for applying physics simulation techniques in VR therapy and discuss their potential therapeutic benefits to motor rehabilitation. A framework for physically-based VR rehabilitation systems is described which consists of functional tasks and game scenarios designed to encourage patients' physical activity in highly motivating, physics-enriched virtual environments where factors such as gravity can be scaled to adapt to individual patient's abilities and in-game performance.