REAL™ Immersive System with HTC VIVE Wins Design Award
Metaverse
5 minutes read
There’s never a shortage of challenges facing the world and we want to be part of solutions. That’s why we are taking a moment today to congratulate our partners at Penumbra for winning the Core77 Design Award for Health & Wellness.
As we shared in March, The REAL™ System is an immersive, wireless virtual reality system using the VIVE FOCUS headset. It’s built for brain injury rehabilitation following a stroke that provides therapy by a clinician at the patient’s bedside, in a rehab center, or a mobile health location. The systems is entirely self-contained, wireless, and portable for ease and accessibility for clinicians and patients.
Beyond accessibility, the design is also optimized for comfort. Wireless body sensors in soft neoprene bands capture the patient’s movements during sessions and securely record data to a tablet used by the clinician. The Vive Focus headset is light and comfortable, with attachment straps designed specifically for patients with limited grip strength and mobility. All of these things help make the physical rehabilitation needed to recover from a brain injury a little easier.
But in addition to the physical challenges faced by those who suffered a brain injury, there are also mental and emotional barriers to overcome. The loss of a fully-functioning arm, leg, or other physical ability due to brain injury can be devastating and lead to depression. Progress is slow and therapy sessions can feel monotonous, which can cause patients to become bored and frustrated – sometimes quitting the treatment altogether.
To keep patients engaged, encouraged, and entertained, the team took elements of gaming and incorporated therapeutic motions like shoulder flexion, trunk stability, and functional reach. In the virtual environment “Happy Valley,” patients grow food for villagers, fly balloons over mountaintops, put birds in nests, build houses, and do other activities where they can see their avatar (processed by the brain as an extension of the body) being productive and helpful. Achievement awards and progressive levels make it feel even more like playing a game, with motivation and incentive to keep going.
Please join us in congratulating the teams at Delve, Penumbra, Sixense, and HTC VIVE for designing a solution that uses VR technology to improve stroke rehabilitation.
The Community Choice award is still open for votes through July 7 and you can cast your vote for the REAL Immersive System here.
To learn more about the REAL Immersive System go here.
