22.02.2022. Developing new interfaces for rehabilitation requires the exploration of different technology platforms and their potential benefit for the end-user and stakeholders involved in the rehabilitation. Under the ReHyb project, DTU has been investigating virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) as the technological medium to enable end-users to conduct rehabilitation at home through serious games which provide a more enjoyable and engaging format in comparison to conventional rehabilitation. However, these technologies are still maturing and each presents a certain set of capabilities and limitations that can affect implementation in rehabilitation protocols.
Therefore, DTU researchers utilized Unity game development software to develop a serious game that is cross-platform that could run on a Valve Index VR headset and a Hololens 2 AR headset. The game was presented to stroke patients and potential stakeholders at the annual Health and Rehab Scandinavia 2021 (https://www.health-rehab.dk/) held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen Denmark. The presentation provided mutual benefit for all parties as patients and stakeholders were able to test out new technologies and therefore provide feedback to the researchers to better understand how the technology could potentially be implemented in rehabilitation routines.
Figure: DTU at Health and Rehab 2021 XR Testing
Medical professional testing out a serious game in augmented reality with the Hololens 2, while another participant plays the same game in virtual reality using the Valve Index.