SITE
About People Research Collaborations Publications Resources Opportunities

Motor Rehabilitation

Preliminary research in the area of Virtual Realtiy (VR) has focused primarily on more complex VR systems designed for specific therapeutic purposes, providing the participant with visual, sensory and haptic feedback tailored to retrain a precise motor skill. What has not yet been explored is the therapeutic value of commonly available VR games not explicitly created for rehabilitation. While this technology lacks specificity, it has the advantage of mass accessibility, broad affordability, and the potential for home use. The VR systems chosen for this study are the Sony PlayStation® 2 EyeToyTM, Nintendo® WiiTM, and Novint® FalconTM and a Light tracking system developed at the Institute for Creative Technologies. These devices all have unique qualities that may promote different types of functional recovery.

Goals
The goal of the motor rehabilitation project is threefold:

1. To identify the characteristics of 4 models of Virtual Environments interactive games that are most enjoyable, user friendly, and motivating for individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury and amputation. The 4 models include the Sony PlayStation® 2 EyeToyTM, Nintendo® WiiTM, and Novint® FalconTM and the existing ICT systems and virtual environments.
2. To take the data gathered from the above goal to direct further development of user-centered designed games as rehabilitative tools that result in improved motor function after Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury or amputation.
3. Based on the above findings, we will develop a training program for balance and upper extremity function addressing the specific needs of each of the three groups (Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury and amputation).

Differences Between This Project and Others in the Field
This project differs from others in the following ways:

• We are gathering feedback from users to incorporate changes to existing systems and games / virtual environments to develop a series of systems that can be used for rehabilitation.

Team Members
Sheryl Flynn, PhD (Co-Project Investigator)
Albert "Skip" Rizzo, PhD (Co-Project Investigator)
Belinda Lange, PhD (Co-Project Investigator)
Thomas D. Parsons, PhD

Contact Name
Belinda Lange, PhD (lange@ict.usc.edu)

Click here for more on this project.