Virtual Reality and Hybrid Technology for Neurorehabilitations

Disabilities that follow Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) and spinal cord injuries (SCI) severely impair motor functions and thereby prevent the affected individuals from full and autonomous participation in daily activities. Several studies have shown that virtual reality (VR) is a technology suitable for rehabilitation therapy due to its inherent ability of simulating real-life tasks while improving patient motivation. In this paper we present our research focuses on the development of a new rehabilitation therapy based on a VR system combined with wearable neurorobotics (NR), motor-neuroprosthetics (MNP) and brain neuro-machine interface (BNMI). This solution, based on hybrid technology aims to overcome the major limitations of the current available therapies. This paper is focused on the Virtual Reality concepts used for the development of the HYPER rehabilitation system.