Feasibility of using mixed reality with people with stroke
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Ruth Propper
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 12:00 PM
End Date
25-4-2025 1:00 PM
Description
Stroke is the leading cause of severe disability in adults. Following stroke, individuals may experience gait and balance deficits primarily due to sensorimotor dysfunction such as muscle weakness, hypotonia, and spasticity. Conventional rehabilitation techniques often include physical therapy exercises based on repetitive task-orienting intensive training principle. While these traditional rehabilitation techniques are effective, chronic deficits often persist due to a lack of consistent training with only qualitative feedback from therapists throughout training sessions. Integration of modern technologies have aided in the development of innovative approaches to gait training. Virtual reality (VR) technologies allow creative designs for otherwise repetitive therapies with variable settings intensity and feedback while providing consistent training. Recently, interventions such as virtual reality treadmill training, robot-assisted gait training, and virtual reality head-mounted devices (HMDs) have been tested for usability and efficacy. This study pinpoints mixed reality HMDs since they are more feasible in small outpatient clinics in comparison to other large treadmill systems and can be used with multiple individuals at once. This study evaluated the feasibility of using HMD (HoloLens, Microsoft) in people with stroke and older adults using functional (10MWT) and biomechanical outcomes (temporal and spatial characteristics). The results showed no difference between with and without HoloLens conditions in both older adults and individuals with stroke. In addition, our results also suggest that there are no significant differences in gait between both healthy controls and individuals with stroke while wearing the headset. Our preliminary results suggest that HoloLens does not disrupt normal gait, and it may have the potential to be used as a novel stroke rehabilitation technique.
Feasibility of using mixed reality with people with stroke
Stroke is the leading cause of severe disability in adults. Following stroke, individuals may experience gait and balance deficits primarily due to sensorimotor dysfunction such as muscle weakness, hypotonia, and spasticity. Conventional rehabilitation techniques often include physical therapy exercises based on repetitive task-orienting intensive training principle. While these traditional rehabilitation techniques are effective, chronic deficits often persist due to a lack of consistent training with only qualitative feedback from therapists throughout training sessions. Integration of modern technologies have aided in the development of innovative approaches to gait training. Virtual reality (VR) technologies allow creative designs for otherwise repetitive therapies with variable settings intensity and feedback while providing consistent training. Recently, interventions such as virtual reality treadmill training, robot-assisted gait training, and virtual reality head-mounted devices (HMDs) have been tested for usability and efficacy. This study pinpoints mixed reality HMDs since they are more feasible in small outpatient clinics in comparison to other large treadmill systems and can be used with multiple individuals at once. This study evaluated the feasibility of using HMD (HoloLens, Microsoft) in people with stroke and older adults using functional (10MWT) and biomechanical outcomes (temporal and spatial characteristics). The results showed no difference between with and without HoloLens conditions in both older adults and individuals with stroke. In addition, our results also suggest that there are no significant differences in gait between both healthy controls and individuals with stroke while wearing the headset. Our preliminary results suggest that HoloLens does not disrupt normal gait, and it may have the potential to be used as a novel stroke rehabilitation technique.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.