Virtual Co-Embodiment Rehabilitation: An Innovative Method Integrating Virtual Co-Embodiment and Action Observation Therapy in Virtual Reality Rehabilitation

Virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation is an emerging approach that shows promise for enhancing patient motivation and participation, thereby improving the overall effectiveness of rehabilitation. However, providing effective training through VR rehabilitation for patients with severe impairments remains a significant challenge. To address this issue, we introduce an innovative method called Virtual Co-embodiment Rehabilitation (VCR). This method integrates Virtual Co-embodiment Technology (VCT) with Action Observation Therapy (AOT). Additionally, visual guidance is employed, and the VCT mapping is improved to alleviate the diminished sense of embodiment (SoE) under low control weight conditions. Evaluation experiments demonstrated that the proposed VCR method reliably ensures participants' SoE, even under low control weight conditions. We anticipate that the VCR method will establish a novel paradigm, expanding the possibilities of VR rehabilitation for patients with severe impairments and broadening the application field of Virtual Co-embodiment.