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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Virtual Real.
Sec. Virtual Reality in Medicine
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frvir.2024.1502802

High-Fidelity Immersive Virtual Reality Environments for Gait Rehabilitation Exergames

Provisionally accepted
Laura Schalbetter Laura Schalbetter *Adrienne Grêt-Regamey Adrienne Grêt-Regamey Fabian Gutscher Fabian Gutscher Ulrike Wissen Hayek Ulrike Wissen Hayek
  • ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Virtual reality (VR) used for healthcare, particularly through exergames, is promising for improving therapeutic outcomes. However, effectively engaging patients and providing realistic environments for everyday situations remain major challenges. The technical aspects of developing engaging VR applications for rehabilitation are largely unexplored. This research presents the development of a head-mounted display VR (HMD-VR) exergame for gait therapy. The novelty lies in the use of high-fidelity immersive environments implementing 3D geospatial data and motion to create targeted therapeutic applications that closely mimic reality while harnessing the environment's restorative functions. We integrated 3D point clouds from laser scans and geolocated ambisonic sound recordings into a game engine. We combined different techniques for user motion tracking, while we used point cloud manipulation for integrating specific training elements. Feedback on the quality of the HMD-VR exergame was received from the first implementations. Our methodology demonstrates the successful, highly realistic VR replication of restorative real-world environments using 3D point clouds and environmental sounds. We illustrate the adaptability of the environment for therapeutic use through manipulation of the 3D point cloud, facilitating customizable training difficulty levels while promoting immersive experiences. Participant feedback (sample size: 49 sessions) confirms the HMD-VR exergame's applicability as a restorative experience (ClinicalTrials.gov XXX). Our research introduces a pioneering HMD-VR game for gait rehabilitation, leveraging immersive VR environments grounded in the real world. This innovative approach offers new possibilities for efficient and effective rehabilitation interventions. Future studies will analyze effects on gait patterns across different environments and their restorative functions and evaluate the HMD-VR exergame in clinical settings.

    Keywords: Head-Mounted Display Virtual Reality (HMD-VR) exergame, Gait and Balance Training, Audiovisual Simulation, motion tracking, 3D Point Cloud Modeling, restorative environments

    Received: 27 Sep 2024; Accepted: 29 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Schalbetter, Grêt-Regamey, Gutscher and Wissen Hayek. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Laura Schalbetter, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.