Department of Information Science, Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Jimma Institute of Technology, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 378, Oromia, Ethiopia.
REVAL Rehabilitation Research Center, Technology-Supported and Data-Driven Rehabilitation, Data Science Institute, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Hasselt, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Sensors (Basel). 2024 May 31;24(11):3546. doi: 10.3390/s24113546.
Stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide, and it greatly impacts the quality of life for survivors by causing impairments in their upper limbs. Due to the difficulties in accessing rehabilitation services, immersive virtual reality (IVR) is an interesting approach to improve the availability of rehabilitation services. This systematic review evaluates the technological characteristics of IVR systems used in the rehabilitation of upper limb stroke patients. Twenty-five publications were included. Various technical aspects such as game engines, programming languages, headsets, platforms, game genres, and technical evaluation were extracted from these papers. Unity 3D and C# are the primary tools for creating IVR apps, while the Oculus Quest (Meta Platforms Technologies, Menlo Park, CA, USA) is the most often used headset. The majority of systems are created specifically for rehabilitation purposes rather than being readily available for purchase (i.e., commercial games). The analysis also highlights key areas for future research, such as game assessment, the combination of hardware and software, and the potential integration incorporation of biofeedback sensors. The study highlights the significance of technological progress in improving the effectiveness and user-friendliness of IVR. It calls for additional research to fully exploit IVR's potential in enhancing stroke rehabilitation results.
中风是全球范围内第二大致死原因，它会导致幸存者上肢功能障碍，极大地影响他们的生活质量。由于难以获得康复服务，沉浸式虚拟现实 (IVR) 是一种改善康复服务可及性的有趣方法。本系统评价评估了用于上肢中风患者康复的 IVR 系统的技术特点。共纳入了 25 篇文献。从这些论文中提取了各种技术方面，如游戏引擎、编程语言、耳机、平台、游戏类型和技术评估。Unity 3D 和 C# 是创建 IVR 应用程序的主要工具，而 Oculus Quest（Meta Platforms Technologies，Menlo Park，CA，USA）是最常用的耳机。大多数系统是专门为康复目的而创建的，而不是现成的可购买的（即商业游戏）。该分析还强调了未来研究的关键领域，如游戏评估、硬件和软件的结合以及生物反馈传感器的潜在整合。该研究强调了技术进步在提高 IVR 的有效性和用户友好性方面的重要性。它呼吁开展更多的研究，以充分挖掘 IVR 在增强中风康复效果方面的潜力。
