Virtual reality for activities of daily living training in neurorehabilitation: a usability and feasibility study in healthy participants

After severe injury or neurodegenerative disorders patients often experience long-term functional deficits, resulting in a reduction o performance in activities of daily living (ADL). Given their direct relevance to everyday functioning and quality of life, neurorehabilitative programs using simulated ADL’s have seen increased interest recently. One of the core elements in simulated ADL’s is the interface between the user and the virtual environment, which has a high impact on the therapeutic outcome. The aim of this study was to nalyze the feasibility of a simple virtual ADL (tea preparation task) using two different input devices. The tea preparation task setup consisted of a computer rendering the virtual environment, a head-mounted display (HMD) to visually present the ADL, and two input devices (mouse and handheld controller) to guide virtual hands in the virtual environment. A total of 24 healthyyoung adults performed the tea preparation task after which workload, usability, immersion and presence was rated. The handheld controller was rated significantly lower workload and higher usability than the mouse input device. Also, the sense of being there (immersion) and spatial presence ratings for the task and setup were close to the maximum score of 5. Thus, the handheld controller outperformed the mouse, suggesting that user interaction in the virtual environment with the handheld controller is similar to the real world and intuitive to use. Overall, the simulated ADL implemented with VR technology is feasible for diagnostic and rehabilitative purposes in patients experiencing long-term functional deficits.