Development and Evaluation of a Mixed Reality System for Stroke Rehabilitation

Abstract

AbstractComputer simulations are gaining interest from researchers and therapists involved in stroke rehabilitation because they offer a means to monitor user activity and replicate tasks within safe and controlled environments. We developed a virtual environment (VE) to simulate the potentially hazardous task of making a hot drink. A three dimensional representation of a kitchen, including objects and utensils, was displayed on a computer screen and controlled through a touch screen interface. We also developed a user interface that employed real, physical kitchen objects, adapted in order to provide the computer with spatial and orientation data through a combination of motion sensors and a computer vision system. This tactile interface technology is known as a tangible user interface (TUI) and together with a VE comprises a mixed reality (MR) system. The MR system described here enabled users to perform naturalistic upper limb movements in order to interact with the task simulation. In this chapter we explain how the VE and MR systems were developed through a user-centred design process that involved the participation of consultants, clinicians and stroke survivors. Case examples of feasibility and evaluation studies using both the VE and MR systems are presented and discussed. Recommendations for the design and development of MR systems specifically for stroke rehabilitation are included.KeywordsStroke rehabilitationvirtual environmentmixed reality