Bovim Lars Peder Vatshelle, Valved Lauritz, Bleikli Bendik, Geitung Atle Birger, Soleim Harald, Bogen Bård
SimArena Rehabilitation Lab, Department of Health and Functioning, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway.
The Vitality Centre for Children and Youth, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
Front Aging Neurosci. 2021 Nov 2;13:734223. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.734223. eCollection 2021.
Virtual reality games are playing a greater role in rehabilitation settings. Previously, commercial games have dominated, but increasingly, bespoke games for specific rehabilitation contexts are emerging. Choice and design of tasks for VR-games are still not always clear, however; some games are designed to motivate and engage players, not necessarily with the facilitation of specific movements as a goal. Other games are designed specifically for the facilitation of specific movements. A theoretical background for the choice of tasks seems warranted. As an example, we use a game that was designed in our lab: VR Walk. Here, the player walks on a treadmill while wearing a head-mounted display showing a custom-made virtual environment. Tasks include walking on a glass bridge across a drop, obstacle avoidance, narrowing path, walking in virtual footsteps, memory, and selection tasks, and throwing and catching objects. Each task is designed according to research and theory from movement science, exercise science, and cognitive science. In this article, we discuss how for example walking across a glass bridge gives perceptual challenges that may be suitable for certain medical conditions, such as hearing loss, when perceptual abilities are strained to compensate for the hearing loss. In another example, walking in virtual footsteps may be seen as a motor and biomechanical constraint, where the double support phase and base of support can be manipulated, making the task beneficial for falls prevention. In a third example, memory and selection tasks may challenge individuals that have cognitive impairments. We posit that these theoretical considerations may be helpful for the choice of tasks and for the design of virtual reality games.
虚拟现实游戏在康复环境中发挥着越来越重要的作用。以前，商业游戏占据主导地位，但现在，针对特定康复环境的定制游戏越来越多。然而，虚拟现实游戏任务的选择和设计仍不总是明确的；一些游戏旨在激励和吸引玩家，不一定以促进特定动作作为目标。其他游戏则是专门为促进特定动作而设计的。似乎有必要为任务选择提供一个理论背景。例如，我们使用在我们实验室设计的一款游戏：VR Walk。在这里，玩家在跑步机上行走，同时头戴式显示器展示一个定制的虚拟环境。任务包括在横跨落差的玻璃桥上行走、避障、走狭窄路径、按虚拟脚步行走、记忆和选择任务，以及投掷和接住物体。每个任务都是根据运动科学、运动生理学和认知科学的研究与理论设计的。在本文中，我们讨论例如走过玻璃桥如何带来感知挑战，这可能适用于某些医疗状况，如听力损失，当感知能力被调动起来以补偿听力损失时。再举一个例子，按虚拟脚步行走可被视为一种运动和生物力学限制，其中双支撑期和支撑面可以被操控，使该任务有助于预防跌倒。第三个例子是，记忆和选择任务可能会对有认知障碍的个体构成挑战。我们认为这些理论考量可能有助于任务选择和虚拟现实游戏的设计。
