Virtual reality and stroke patients

Virtual assessment tasks for stroke patients

We are developing virtual assessment tasks to diagnose levels of movement disability and function in stroke survivors; a patient group whose quality of life often decreases following a loss of function in their upper limb.

The project aims to virtualise several current upper-limb outcome measures used in stroke rehabilitation (e.g. reaching and grasping tasks) and contain them all within one virtual space. This will allow patients and carers to explore several different aspects of their disability with a few clicks, rather than having to transport physical copies of various outcome measures. By tracking the motion of the upper limb while patients are assessed, we can collect detailed information on their arm function and use this in their diagnoses and in the construction of their rehabilitation programmes.

Through combining virtual reality with motion capture technology, we aim to develop assessments of upper-limb function that are quantitative, reliable, precise and fun for patients to perform. This ambitious project is the student-led PhD research programme of Jack Evans, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Our findings will help us integrate new technologies in healthcare and potentially ease the burden on healthcare professionals.

Contact

For more information on this project, please contact Jack Evans.