Mulsemedia: Review and Perspective on Potentials in Rehabilitation and Disability Technological Developments

Recent technological advancements have brought great focus on the use of Multiple-Sensorial Media (Mulsemedia) in various application fields. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Mulsemedia is the great engagement and immersive user experience it offers through the stimulation of more human senses than just audiovisual content (Multimedia). The paper aims to breakdown the Mulsemedia field principles, reported applications, and future potentials in a manner adequate for readers from technical as well as medical backgrounds. The paper starts with a review of Mulsemedia history and beginning of its growth. Later, fundamental Mulsemedia system architecture and components are presented. Moreover, the paper presents a description of the manner in which Mulsemedia systems mimic, stimulate and regenerate sensations reflecting the five human senses. This is followed by a review of several research and developmental studies that made use of Mulsemedia technologies in a wide range of applications with emphasis on its unique features and advantages. Focus is then turned onto a review of studies that reported using Mulsemedia in rehabilitation technologies, assistive technologies and several disability needs. The paper concludes with the most common recommendations found in the reviewed works, which can be summarized in the huge future potentials of research tackling the implementation and experimentation of Mulsemedia technologies for solving disability problems. The latter fact, offers researchers and therapists boundless choices when it comes to designing or applying new diagnostic, therapeutic or assistive methods for people with disabilities.