eStreet: Virtual reality and wearable devices applied to rehabilitation

Abstract

The use of virtual reality has grown in recent years due to the popularization of immersive and interactive devices, and applications in general. In areas related to medical rehabilitation, it has not been different. Several types of research have emerged in the last years integrating virtual reality as an aid to patients’ rehabilitation of diverse pathologies, as for example people who suffered a stroke. The purpose of this research was to create a low-cost wearable device and provide an immersive and interactive virtual environment to perform daily life activities aiming at medical rehabilitation. In this way, virtual reality was used to support the accomplishment of activities such as functional mobility (through stationary walking) and maintenance of personal objects. The wearable device was developed using an Arduino UNO, sonars, accelerometer, and gyroscope. We also created a virtual reality environment that provides functionalities for user’s movement, such as pedestrian crossing a street and moving around a virtual city. It is expected that the solution developed can assist health professionals in the rehabilitation process.