EAGER: Enabling Virtual Reality for Aquatic Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities

EAGER：为残疾人的水上康复提供虚拟现实

• 批准号: 1648949
• 负责人: John Quarles
• 金额: $ 24万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at San Antonio
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-10-01 至 2019-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1648949&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Enabling; Virtual; Reality; Aquatic

Because Virtual Reality (VR) technology (e.g., a head mounted display with a full body tracking system) typically cannot be used underwater, what impact aquatic VR would have on user interaction is mostly unknown, and potential important underwater applications such as pool-based physical rehabilitation remain unrealized. There has been only minimal research on aquatic VR in general, and none of that work has investigated its effects on people with disabilities. Prior research has demonstrated that VR-enhanced rehabilitation can offer many benefits, such as increased motivation through immersive games and the ability to practice in a safe environment, but VR has yet to be applied in practice to aquatic rehabilitation. In this exploratory research the PI will seek to determine effective system and interaction approaches for aquatic VR that maintain rehabilitation motivation and maximize exercise performance by disabled persons, specifically for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who commonly have proprioceptive and balance deficits. The PI's preliminary work suggests that a video see-though display, body tracking via inertial measurement units, and head positioning via optical tracking will enable an effective aquatic VR system. The PI's hypothesis is that aquatic VR will enable members of the target population to perform exercises significantly better than on land. If this hypothesis is found to be supported, the project will represent a critical step towards the grand challenge of universal usability of VR, and will in particular afford a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of VR as a medium for rehabilitation. To test his hypothesis, the research will include two thrusts. One of these will seek to determine viable system approaches for enabling aquatic VR. In preliminary work, the PI devised a prototype system consisting of a novel combination of off-the-shelf components. A waterproof smart phone was attached to a dive mask, to enable a 3DOF tracked stereoscopic view of the virtual underwater environment. A second waterproof smart phone was attached to the user's chest, allowing for 3DOF body orientation tracking, punch detection and haptic feedback. The virtual sounds of the game were delivered through a pair of waterproof headphones, which also allowed real sounds to be heard underwater. The other thrust in this project will determine through a series of empirical studies how aquatic VR affects human performance of rehabilitation exercises, Considering the known advantages of aquatic rehabilitation over land-based, the working hypothesis here is that aquatic VR will enable persons with disabilities to experience significantly less fatigue, maintain balance better, and exercise longer with increased resistance than land-based virtual rehabilitation, and that it may also improve motivation compared to traditional aquatic rehabilitation. In preliminary work, the PI developed Shark Punch, a prototype aquatic VR game in which players must fight for their lives in a real underwater environment against a virtual Great White shark. From a rehabilitation perspective, this game focuses on improving joint mobility, and flexor and extensor muscle strength, through punching exercises. In the game, the shark first circles the player and then ferociously attacks, trying to bite the player. After it bites, it retreats back to circling the player from a distance. A bite can only be prevented if the player lands a real punch on the virtual shark's nose. If the user successfully punches the shark, the shark is stunned for a few seconds and then swims back to a safe distance from the player.

由于虚拟现实（VR）技术（例如，具有全身跟踪系统的头部安装显示）通常不能在水下使用，因此水生VR对用户互动的影响大多是未知的，并且潜在的重要水下应用（例如基于池的体育康复）仍未实现。一般来说，对水生VR的研究只有很少的研究，而且这些工作都没有调查其对残疾人的影响。 先前的研究表明，VR增强的康复可以带来许多好处，例如通过沉浸式游戏和在安全环境中实践的能力增加动力，但VR尚未在实践中应用于水生康复。 在这项探索性研究中，PI将寻求确定维持康复动机的水生VR的有效系统和相互作用方法，并最大程度地提高残疾人的运动绩效，特别是针对通常具有本体感受和平衡缺陷的多发性硬化症（MS）的人。 PI的初步工作表明，视频透视显示，通过惯性测量单元进行身体跟踪以及通过光学跟踪的头部定位将实现有效的水生VR系统。 PI的假设是，水生VR将使目标人群的成员能够比在土地上进行练习明显更好。 如果发现该假设得到支持，则该项目将代表着VR普遍可用性的巨大挑战的关键一步，并且尤其将对VR作为康复媒介的有效性有更深入的了解。 为了检验他的假设，研究将包括两个推力。其中之一将寻求确定启用水生VR的可行系统方法。 在初步工作中，PI设计了一个原型系统，该系统由新型组成部分组成。 防水智能手机附在潜水面罩上，以启用3DOF跟踪的虚拟水下环境的立体视图。 用户的胸部附加了第二台防水智能手机，从而可以进行3DOF车身方向跟踪，打孔检测和触觉反馈。 游戏的虚拟声音是通过一双防水耳机传递的，这也允许在水下听到真实的声音。 该项目中的另一个力量将通过一系列实证研究来确定水生VR如何影响人类的康复练习表现，考虑到水生康复的已知优势，而不是土地基础，这里的工作假设是，水生VR将使残疾人能够使残疾人能够降低疲劳，并使疲劳的动机更加多，并且在较长的疲劳中，与陆地上的锻炼相比，与陆地的锻炼更长，并使势力更高，并且能够更好地保持平衡，并使其更长地锻炼，并使其更加稳定，并使其更加稳定，并使其更加稳定，并使其更加稳定，并使其更长地锻炼，并且可以使自己的疲劳更加稳定，并且可以使自己的抵抗力更高，并使其更长地保持平衡，并使其具有更大的影响力，并具有更长的努力，并且可以保持较长的努力，并具有较长的抵抗力，并且能够使其更长地锻炼。康复。 在初步工作中，PI开发了Shark Punch，这是一种原型水生VR游戏，玩家必须在真正的水下环境中与虚拟的大白鲨鱼为自己的生命而战。 从康复的角度来看，该游戏专注于通过打孔练习来提高关节移动性，以及屈肌和伸肌力量。 在游戏中，鲨鱼首先将玩家圈出，然后猛烈地攻击，试图咬玩家。 咬伤后，它将撤退到远处绕球员盘旋。 只有在玩家对虚拟鲨鱼的鼻子上掌握一拳，才能防止咬合。 如果用户成功地打了鲨鱼，鲨鱼会震惊了几秒钟，然后将其回到与玩家的安全距离。

项目成果

Evaluation of Virtual Reality Tracking Systems Underwater

水下虚拟现实跟踪系统的评估

• DOI: 10.2312/egve.20191277
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: ICAT-EGVE 2019 - International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments
• 作者: Costa, R.;Quarles, J.
• 通讯作者: Quarles, J.

3D Interaction with Virtual Objects in Real Water

与真实水中的虚拟物体进行 3D 交互

• DOI: 10.1109/vs-games.2019.8864574
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: 11th International Conference on Virtual Worlds and Games for Serious Applications (VS-GAMES 2019
• 作者: Costa, Raphael;Quarles, John
• 通讯作者: Quarles, John

Virtual Ability Simulation: Applying Rotational Gain to the Leg to Increase Confidence During Physical Rehabilitation

虚拟能力模拟：将旋转增益应用于腿部以增加身体康复期间的信心

• DOI: 10.2312/egve.20191282
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: ICAT-EGVE 2019 - International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments
• 作者: Chowdhury, T.;Ferdous, S.;Peck, T.;Quarles, J.
• 通讯作者: Quarles, J.

Towards usable underwater virtual reality systems

迈向可用的水下虚拟现实系统

• DOI: 10.1109/vr.2017.7892281
• 发表时间: 2017
• 期刊: 2017 IEEE
• 作者: Costa, Raphael;Guo, Rongkai;Quarles, John
• 通讯作者: Quarles, John