Article

PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility of using a virtual rehabilitation system
with intuitive user interface and force feedback to improve the skills in
activities of daily living (ADL). METHOD: A virtual training system equipped with
haptic devices was developed for the rehabilitation of three ADL tasks - door
unlocking, water pouring and meat cutting. Twenty subjects with upper limb
disabilities, supervised by two occupational therapists, received a four-session
training using the system. The task completion time and the amount of water
poured into a virtual glass were recorded. The performance of the three tasks in
reality was assessed before and after the virtual training. Feedback of the
participants was collected with questionnaires after the study. RESULTS: The
completion time of the virtual tasks decreased during the training (p < 0.01)
while the percentage of water successfully poured increased (p = 0.051). The
score of the Borg scale of perceived exertion was 1.05 (SD = 1.85; 95% CI =
0.18-1.92) and that of the task specific feedback questionnaire was 31 (SD =
4.85; 95% CI = 28.66-33.34). The feedback of the therapists suggested a positive
rehabilitation effect. The participants had positive perception towards the
system. CONCLUSIONS: The system can potentially be used as a tool to complement
conventional rehabilitation approaches of ADL. Implications for rehabilitation
Rehabilitation of activities of daily living can be facilitated using
computer-assisted approaches. The existing approaches focus on cognitive training
rather than the manual skills.
A virtual training system with intuitive user
interface and force feedback was designed to improve the learning of the manual
skills. The study shows that system could be used as a training tool to
complement conventional rehabilitation approaches.

Langue : ANGLAIS