Use of Drones with Virtual Reality Application for Immobile Patients An Analysis of the Impact on Life Quality

Abstract

Progressive digitalisation makes a consistent integration of new technologies in the medical field inevitable in the long term. Especially the application of virtual reality and drones offers great potential for further developments in this sector but is still largely unexplored. Due to this fact, in the present trial it was investigated whether or to what extent the use of VR-drone-couplings can influence the quality of life of immobile patients. In order to analyse this impact, a field trial was carried out with ten persons who were not handicapped. Their quality of life was assessed by using the questionnaire WHOQOL-BREF before and after the experiment and the values were compared subsequently. By incorporating a systematic literature search, the trial results could be applied to the use of drones by immobile patients. The results show that the VR-drone-deployment can positively influence the quality of life of both healthy and movement-restricted individuals, but only to the extent that the resulting mobility increase is weighted in the life of those affected. The use of a video drone enables locally fixed persons to expand their mobility radius, as well as to overcome barriers and maintain social contacts. Accordingly, it is important to pursue this approach and to carry out additional studies regarding this concern in the future. A detailed breakdown of the results, as well as their consequences for the use of drones by paraplegic patients in the future is represented in this paper. Moreover, the need of further adaptions, changes and research which was revealed by this investigation can be taken from the following study.