Development of a glove controller for upper limb motor rehabilitation using virtual reality

Abstract

Problem statement. Modern digital technologies make it possible to immerse a person in virtual reality, indistinguishable from everyday reality. Virtual reality is widely used in medical applications, in the tasks of training specialists and the prevention of mental disorders. However, the use of virtual reality in the rehabilitation of the upper extremities has certain limitations. Existing virtual reality controllers that simulate the work of hands are not able to reliably transmit sensations from the artificial to the real world and in most cases do not have a feedback system, which is so important for monitoring the dynamics of human rehabilitation. Medical developments in the form of exoskeletons for the hands, aimed at rehabilitating patients after strokes with lost hand motility, allow for deeper interaction with the limb, but in most cases do not support connection to a PC. The solution to the problem. The creation of a glove controller for interacting with virtual reality ensures constant communication with the user through his reactions to various physiological stimuli. Goal. Development of a glove controller for the rehabilitation of upper limb motility using biofeedback technology in the system. Results. The analysis of existing controllers for interaction with virtual reality is carried out. A new technical solution has been proposed for the implementation of a biofeedback controller. Practical significance. An experimental model of a biofeedback controller implemented on electromechanical drives is presented. The advantages and disadvantages of this technical solution are revealed. A variant of the implementation of biofeedback using an electronically controlled pneumatic system is proposed.