Current rehabilitation treatments involve different types of visual; and physical coordination tasks and cognitive exercises; The new non immersive VR technology being show casing updates; these paper and pen tasks for the digital age using videogame technology instead.
As rehabilitation is the action of restoring someone to health or normal life through training and therapy after illness; imprisonment, addiction; Researchers at the University of East Anglia are pioneering virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation for stroke survivors; using low cost videogame technology. They have worked with industry collaborator Evolv to create a new gaming platform to improve the lives of stroke patients suffering from complex neurological syndromes caused by their stroke.
Rehabilitation stroke recovery
But there are 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK; and around 30-50% of them suffer a debilitating disorder called ‘hemispatial neglect‘. The condition leaves people unaware of things located on one side of their body and greatly reduces their ability to live independently.
But a stroke can damage the brain; so that it no longer receives information about the space around one side of the world. If this happening; people may not be aware of anything on one side; usually the same side they also lost their movement. This is called hemispatial neglect. These people tend to have very poor recovery and are left with long-term disability. Patients with this condition tell us that it is terrifying.
By cognitive exercises
But current rehabilitation treatments involve different types of visual and physical coordination tasks (visuomotor); and cognitive exercises; The new non-immersive VR technology being show casing updates these paper and pen tasks for the digital age using videogame technology instead.
But traditional rehabilitation treatment is quite monotonous and boring; so this gamification aspect is really important to help people stick with their treatment. Our goal is to use technology to make rehabilitation fun; and engaging and study have applying this to our Spatial Neglect therapy solution. The great thing about it is that it can be using not only in clinics but also in patients homes; thereby giving them access to personalising rehabilitation without leaving their living room