Virtual Reality software to assist stroke survivors
A team of Games Technology students and Computer Science lecturers from Murdoch University’s School of Engineering and Information Technology have developed a program to help stroke survivors with their recovery.
Neuromender captures detailed upper body data in real-time as stroke survivors fly a ‘wing-man’ through a virtual world.
Working with clinicians from the West Australian Neuroscience Research Institute (WANRI) they developed a computer-based Virtual Reality (VR) rehabilitation program called Neuromender, which focuses on upper body function.
“Hand and arm weakness is a common problem following stroke that substantially impacts on the quality of life of stroke survivors,” says Associate Professor Michelle Byrnes from WANRI.
Up to 75 per cent of stroke survivors continue to experience motor deficits associated with reduced quality of life, either as a direct result of the stroke itself or longer-term effects of disuse, inactivity and lifestyle changes after stroke.
The Neuromender software, which can run on a personal computer, captures detailed upper body data in real-time as patients fly a ‘wing-man’ through a virtual world, with the task difficulty levels adjusted automatically by the system.
As patients use the Neuromender System, data is sent to the Neuromender’s central server, where their progress can be assessed online by Clinicians.
Tasks have been specifically designed to be engaging and the system is adaptive to keep the users motivation levels high.
“This VR rehabilitation program will have immense, positive, long-term implications for the upper rehabilitation and recovery of stroke survivors in the future,” according to Professor Byrnes.
“Neuromender is a low-cost computer-based system that enables users to interact with a multisensory simulated environment in the comfort and convenience of their own home,” Senior Lecturer and Project Leader Dr Mohd Fairuz Shiratuddin explains.
The motivation for developing an economical software system that could assist the rehabilitation of stroke survivors came from Dr Shiratuddin, whose mother is a stroke survivor.
“Neuromender is designed to be extensible, and will be expanded to include more interactive and engaging contents in the near future,” he says.
Stroke is the number one cause of long-term disability in adults in Australia, effecting more than 50,000 Australians each year.
In Australia, there are currently no established evidence-based VR rehabilitation programs with detailed, high resolution monitoring for the neurorehabilitation of the upper limb of stroke survivors.
A pilot trial is set to begin in the summer of 2016 featuring 20 stroke survivors.
