Semi-immersive virtual reality system to enhance hand motor rehabilitation after stroke

In the past few years, the incorporation of virtual reality (VR) technology into various medical applications has attracted growing attention, notably as a means of assisting upper-limb motor rehabilitation exercises for people recovering from stroke. VR has gained attention due to its potential to provide an interactive, engaging, and motivating environment for patients undergoing rehabilitation. This technology offers unique opportunities to enhance traditional rehabilitation approaches, providing a novel and immersive way to deliver rehabilitation exercises for stroke patients. This article aims to present a novel VR system designed to help hemiplegic patients in their functional rehabilitation after a stroke. The system provides a partially immersive experience where users can interact with a virtual environment by tracking their hand movements using a leap motion controller motion sensor. An avatar of the user’s hand is generated within the virtual environment, mimicking the movements of their real hand. The system is designed to provide repetitive, task-oriented activities within the context of a serious game, in order to facilitate the rehabilitation process. An initial evaluation was conducted to assess its acceptability among patients. The results revealed that patients responded positively to the game, expressing that it could be a useful tool in their functional recovery.