Abstract
The availability of virtual environments on the Web is fostering new applications of virtual reality in several fields, including some therapeutical applications. We present an application of virtual reality applied to the tele-rehabilitation of patients with traumatic brain injury and stroke. Our system, based on X3D and Ajax3D technologies, enhances the possibility of making tele-rehabilitation exercises aimed at the recovery of the neurological disease. The system, called Nu!RehaVR, has been designed to integrate the activity carried out on a tele-rehabilitation system, Nu!Reha (Nu!Reha is a trademark of Pragma Engineering srl. See http://www.nureha.eu) desk, with the activities performed in the virtual worlds, through some rehabilitation exercises in contexts incompatible with the patients’ impairments (not able to move or forced in static positions because of therapies, etc.). The architecture of Nu!RehaVR and the environments associated to two exercises, “Utilising an elevator to reach a given floor” and “Crossing a road using a traffic light”, are illustrated. These exercises can be considered as prototypes of a series of tele-rehabilitation exercises which help to stimulate the patients performing actions in relatively dangerous scenarios. The system is designed to allow the remote monitoring and assessment of the patient’s activities by the medical staff at the hospital using the communication facilities of the tele-rehabilitation system.
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Notes
Graphism is not defined in any dictionary but refers to the "expression of thought in material symbols". See i.e.: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphism.
Unità Organica Riabilitazione Intensiva Neuromotoria.
The X3D specifications and the documentation are available at the Web3D Consortium Web site: http://www.web3d.org/x3d.
Parisi T Ajax3D: The Open Platform for Rich 3D Web Applications, White Paper available at the URL http://www.ajax3d.org/whitepaper/.
Fifth Dimension Technology Inc.; see http://www.5dt.com.
For info related to the 6 degree-of-freedom Polhemus motion tracker visit: http://www.polhemus.com/fastrack.htm.
Info on the 5DT HMD 800 series are available at the http://www.5dt.com/products/phmd.html.
For detailed information about Vivaty X3D player see: http://developer.vivaty.com.
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Acknowledgments
EU projects IST H-CAD and eTen Hellodoc are acknowledged for having promoted the concept of tele-rehabilitation applied to neuro-rehabilitation practice and for the support provided. The Working Group “ELAMS” of the COST D37 Action is acknowledged for the useful knowledge and technology contribution provided to the present research.
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Gervasi, O., Magni, R. & Zampolini, M. Nu!RehaVR: virtual reality in neuro tele-rehabilitation of patients with traumatic brain injury and stroke. Virtual Reality 14, 131–141 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-009-0149-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-009-0149-7