Virtual rehabilitation for patients with osteoporosis or other musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review

This study aims to identify effective ways to design virtual rehabilitation to obtain physical improvement (e.g. balance and gait) and support engagement (i.e. motivation) for people with osteoporosis or other musculoskeletal disorders. Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder and is among the most prevalent diseases globally, affecting 0.5 billion adults. Despite the fact that the number of people with osteoporosis is similar to, or greater than those diagnosed with cardiovascular disease and dementia, osteoporosis does not receive the same recognition. Worldwide, osteoporosis causes 8.9 million fractures annually; it is associated with substantial pain, suffering, disability and increased mortality. The importance of physical therapy as a rehabilitation strategy to avoid osteoporosis fracture cannot be over-emphasised. However, the main rehabilitation challenges relate to engagement and participation. The use of virtual rehabilitation to address such challenges in the delivery of physical improvement is gaining in popularity. As there currently is a paucity of literature applying virtual rehabilitation to patients with osteoporosis, the authors broadened the search parameters to include articles relating to the virtual rehabilitation of other skeletal disorders (e.g. Ankylosing spondylitis, spinal cord injury, motor rehabilitation, etc.). This systematic review initially identified 130 titles, from which 23 articles (involving 539 participants) met all eligibility and selection criteria. Four groups of devices supporting virtual rehabilitation were identified: a head-mounted display, a balance board, a camera and more specific devices. Each device supported physical improvement (i.e. balance, muscle strength and gait) post-training. This review has shown that: (a) each device allowed improvement with different degrees of immersion, (b) the technology choice is dependent on the care need and (c) virtual rehabilitation can be equivalent to and enhance conventional therapy and potentially increase the patient's engagement with physical therapy.

Prefrontal Cortex Activation during Memory Training by Virtual Drum Beating: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The use of virtual reality (VR) content in neurological disorders with cognitive impairment is increasing. We have developed a device that incorporates virtual drum beating content, designed for digit memorization training. This study aimed to investigate the effects of realistic cognitive training on brain activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Thirty healthy individuals were recruited and randomly assigned into two groups: conventional cognitive exercise (CCE) and a realistic cognitive exergame (RCE). Subjects in the CCE group underwent memory training by memorizing numbers displayed on a computer screen and then writing them on paper. The main outcome measure was the oxyhemoglobin level in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). As a result, the average number of digits was 7.86 ± 0.63 for the CCE and 7.6 ± 0.82 for the RCE. The mean difference in ΔHbO was 1.417 ± 0.616 μm (p = 0.029) in channel 2, located in the right DLPFC. Channel 7 and channel 10, which measured activations in the hypothesized medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), also showed a significant mean difference of ΔHbO. DLPFC and OFC presented higher activation in the RCE group (p < 0.05), attributable to the simultaneous memory training and virtual drum beating, which provided various sensory inputs (visual, auditory, and vibration). Although DLPFC involvement in cognitive processes remains controversial, our findings suggest that realistic memory training using drumming content can lead to safer activation of the DLPFC compared to conventional cognitive training.

Recent Progress of Tactile and Force Sensors for Human-Machine Interaction

Human-Machine Interface (HMI) plays a key role in the interaction between people and machines, which allows people to easily and intuitively control the machine and immersively experience the virtual world of the meta-universe by virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) technology. Currently, wearable skin-integrated tactile and force sensors are widely used in immersive human-machine interactions due to their ultra-thin, ultra-soft, conformal characteristics. In this paper, the recent progress of tactile and force sensors used in HMI are reviewed, including piezoresistive, capacitive, piezoelectric, triboelectric, and other sensors. Then, this paper discusses how to improve the performance of tactile and force sensors for HMI. Next, this paper summarizes the HMI for dexterous robotic manipulation and VR/AR applications. Finally, this paper summarizes and proposes the future development trend of HMI.