The feasibility of using haptic devices to engage people with chronic traumatic brain injury in virtual 3D functional tasks

Ecologically valid virtual reality-based technologies for assessment and rehabilitation of acquired brain injury: a systematic review

Purpose

A systematic review was conducted to examine the state of the literature regarding using ecologically valid virtual environments and related technologies to assess and rehabilitate people with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).

Materials and methods

A literature search was performed following the PRISMA guidelines using PubMed, Web of Science, ACM and IEEE databases. The focus was on assessment and intervention studies using ecologically valid virtual environments (VE). All studies were included if they involved individuals with ABI and simulated environments of the real world or Activities of Daily Living (ADL).

Results

Seventy out of 363 studies were included in this review and grouped and analyzed according to the nature of its simulation, prefacing a total of 12 kitchens, 11 supermarkets, 10 shopping malls, 16 streets, 11 cities, and 10 other everyday life scenarios. These VE were mostly presented on computer screens, HMD's and laptops and patients interacted with them primarily via mouse, keyboard, and joystick. Twenty-five out of 70 studies had a non-experimental design.

Conclusion

Evidence about the clinical impact of ecologically valid VE is still modest, and further research with more extensive samples is needed. It is important to standardize neuropsychological and motor outcome measures to strengthen conclusions between studies.

Systematic review registration

identifier CRD42022301560, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=301560.

Age-related differences in upper limb motor performance and intrinsic motivation during a virtual reality task

BACKGROUND

In recent years, virtual reality (VR) has evolved from an alternative to a necessity in older adults for health, medical care, and social interaction. Upper limb (UL) motor skill, is an important ability in manipulating VR systems and represents the brain's regulation of movements using the UL muscles. In this study, we used a haptic-feedback Virtual Box and Block Test (VBBT) system and an Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) to examine age-related differences in UL motor performance and intrinsic motivation in VR use. The findings will be helpful for the development of VR applications for older adults.

METHODS

In total, 48 young and 47 older volunteers participated in our study. The parameters including VBBT score, number of velocity peaks, velocity, grasping force and trajectory length were calculated to represent the task performance, manual dexterity, coordination, perceptive ability and cognitive ability in this study.

RESULTS

Age-related differences could be found in all the parameters (all p <  0.05) in VR use. Regression analysis revealed that the task performance of young adults was predicted by the velocity and trajectory length (R² = 64.0%), while that of older adults was predicted by the number of velocity peaks (R² = 65.6%). Additionally, the scores of understandability, relaxation and tiredness were significantly different between the two groups (all p <  0.05). In older adults, the understandability score showed large correlation with the IMI score (|r| = 0.576, p <  0.001). In young adults, the correlation was medium (|r| = 0.342, p = 0.017). No significant correlation was found between the IMI score and VBBT score (|r| = 0.142, p = 0.342) in older adults, while a medium correlation (|r| = 0.342, p = 0.017) was found in young adults.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings demonstrated that decreased smoothness in motor skills dominated the poor VR manipulation in older adults. The experience of understandability is important for older adults' intrinsic motivation in VR use.

Application of Immersive Virtual Reality Interactive Technology in Art Design Teaching

With the rapid development of economy and society, the integration of disciplines has become a key object faced by the whole society. The new characteristics of rapidly iterative technology and evolving theory of the digital age brought new challenges, especially for art and design teaching. At the same time, with the continuous progress of computer hardware level, all kinds of simulation technology constantly emerge, which also brought new opportunities for art design work. Art design teaching, as a systematic project, should use advanced teaching techniques with scientific theories. In the process of teaching design, how are all parts connected with each other, and what are the problems and needs of students and teachers? Through the analysis and research of these, we are aimed at finding ways and methods to solve these problems and needs, and to achieve the optimal teaching effect. The mode, technology, and methods of traditional art design teaching are getting more and more difficult to meet the needs of the society for comprehensive design art talents. Based on virtual reality technology and aimed at the art design teaching system, this paper studies the application of the immersive virtual reality technology in the design teaching practice. On the basis of the traditional design teaching mode, the integrated three-dimensional design teaching mode is put forward and verified. It can inspire students’ creative inspiration in design teaching and guide them to immerse in learning and three-dimensional practice, constantly opening up creative thinking.

Acceptance of Rehabilitation Technology in Adults With Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Their Caregivers, and Healthcare Professionals: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) commonly result in persistent physical, cognitive, and/or emotional deficits that require long-term rehabilitation. Technology-enabled rehabilitation provides an innovative alternative to traditional intervention models. End-user acceptance of these interventions, however, is a critical factor in determining the effective implementation and acceptance of these technologies.

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review the literature to identify methods and measures used to evaluate user acceptance relating to rehabilitation technologies for adults with moderate to severe TBI, their caregivers, and healthcare professionals.

METHODS

Six key databases including Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched using the relevant search terms.

RESULTS

From a yield of 2059 studies, 13 studies met the eligibility criteria. The review revealed limited research that formally evaluated user acceptance in relation to rehabilitation technologies designed for adults with TBI. Furthermore, where such evaluations were conducted, comprehensive research designs incorporating theoretical frameworks of technology acceptance were sparse. Importantly, a range of technologies and recommendations that positively influenced user acceptance were identified. Future directions for research in this area include the use of theory-driven research designs to enhance our understanding of technology acceptance, to support the development of rehabilitation technologies that maximize functional outcomes for individuals with TBI.