Prototype of a VR upper-limb rehabilitation system enhanced with motion-based tactile feedback

Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in adults, with increasing incidence as the population ages. Physical and occupational therapy support the recovery process, with therapy duration and intensity having been identified as critical factors. However, conventional therapy is limited to a short period following the stroke, with only limited possibilities to continue therapy at home. Increasing health costs and lack of trained personnel further strengthen this problem. There is thus a great need for home-based therapy systems, allowing to engage patients and assess the training with sufficient precision to provide meaningful exercises. In this paper, we suggest expandable software architecture for virtual reality rehabilitation applications. This system utilizes various sensors and actuators (i.e. the Kinect for upper limb tracking and a haptic glove). Based on this system, we propose a motion based tactile rendering algorithm. It generates interactive vibration patterns employing the tactile apparent movement phenomenon based on user´s movement to enhance the immersion and provide sensory feedback during rehabilitation training in the virtual reality environment. Three rehabilitation game applications are presented as proof of concept of the proposed system.