SPINDLE: VR Rehab for Neurological Daily Living

Every morning, many of us are reluctantly awakened by the alarm on our smartphones. We groggily switch it off, stumble into the bathroom, squeeze toothpaste onto our brushes, and yawn through our morning routine. After freshening up and buttoning our shirts, we head out to start our workday.

This daily routine might take us just over ten minutes, but for individuals suffering from tremor disorders, such as Parkinson's disease or Essential Tremor, simple tasks like stopping an alarm, applying toothpaste, or fastening buttons can be incredibly challenging. These tasks, known in geriatric medicine and physical therapy as Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), are crucial indicators used to assess a patient's ability to care for themselves in the fields of neurology and rehabilitation.

Everyday tasks like pouring water challenge those with severe tremor disorders, significantly impacting their Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). (Source: Ideogram Collaboration)

Tremor disorders are typically caused by neurological degeneration or disease. Patients often undergo lengthy, uncertain tremor treatments and rehabilitation to recover or improve their ADL capabilities.

Recently, the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea has utilized the VIVE Pro to enhance a system originally developed for stroke patients in 2020, integrating immersive VR to provide personalized, efficient rehabilitation methods for patients with tremor disorders.

VR Immersion Doubles Effectiveness of Life Simulation Devices

A device called the Spherical Parallel Instrument for Daily Living Emulation, resembling two cylindrical stands with a handle, was developed by the research team. Users holding the handle can simulate various daily activities such as flipping pages, pouring water, opening cans, and using a screwdriver, with the force applied being fed back to a computer. This innovative device is known as SPINDLE in the fields of neurology and rehabilitation.

Prototype of the simulator, known as SPINDLE, showing X, Y, Z axes for horizontal, lateral, and vertical movements. The two cylindrical bases represent large muscle groups, while the white middle section represents small muscle groups. (Source: IEEE.org)

The device's lower part simulates the resistance and weight needed for the aforementioned activities through 'large muscle group' drivers, while a 'small muscle group' three-axis controller precisely presents the resistance and weight. The team's algorithm also evaluates feedback data to adjust resistance—for example, the precise force needed to flip a book—providing personalized training for tremor treatment.

While the simulator provides resistance for daily activities, merely holding a handle with resistance is not enough to immerse users in the scenario. Here, the immersive experience offered by VR therapy comes into play, enhancing the simulation of flipping books and pouring water, thus improving the accuracy of force application and subsequent algorithm adjustments.

Indeed, VR headsets play a crucial role in merging the 'sense of daily life' with 'machine operation' during therapy. Additionally, VR provides a safe, repeatable environment for practice, reducing stress during training.

VR-enhanced simulator training for six daily activities, providing an immersive user experience. (Source: IEEE.org)

Next Step: Patient Trials to Verify Effectiveness

It's important to note that the research currently simulates tremors in healthy individuals. The significance of this phase is to prove that the simulator can indeed emulate various ADLs; the system can effectively adjust resistance and identify the optimal resistance standards for each ADL task, collecting data for future patient training and establishing a foundation.

The research team plans to enhance the simulator's capabilities, such as improving algorithms and drivers to simulate more comprehensive, complex daily behaviors, like buttoning—a seemingly mundane task that is actually a complex mechanical action. They also plan to recruit patients for experiments and aim to develop the simulator into a desktop device for home use, allowing patients to undergo rehabilitation without the need to visit clinics or hospitals.

Reflecting on this study, besides reaffirming VR's replicative capabilities, it's evident that our mundane daily routines are continuous challenges for those with tremor disorders. We hope that the Daily Living Emulator will soon be mass-produced to assist those in need.