Automated Orientation & Mobility Training in Virtual Reality for Low Vision Rehabilitation

研究的长期目标是使用基于虚拟现实的智能定位和移动 专家（VR-IOMS）为低视力患者教授大部分定向和移动（O & M）课程 (LV)患者O & M，自我定位和独立旅行的能力，安全和有效地在任何 环境，是独立生活和高质量生活的基础。O & M康复是唯一 经证实的干预措施可恢复左心室丧失的活动性。目前的O & M修复由认证的O & M进行 专家（COMS）在真实的街道。COMS的短缺和分布不均匀，LV活动困难 患者，恢复独立旅行所需的长期培训，COMS时间的不可报销费用， LV人群的低收入/失业状况使其无法获得这一宝贵的服务， 对许多最需要它的人来说是负担不起的。VR-IOMS是一种计算机程序，它结合了虚拟现实和 智能辅导技术。当VR-IOMS课程通过互联网提供时，LV患者可以 在安全的虚拟环境中，以最低的成本，在方便的地点和时间接受高质量的O & M培训。 因此，这种新的干预措施可以减少O & M康复的可及性和可负担性障碍。 建议的研究是建立在我们以前的研究教学O & M技能在虚拟街道。它旨在 检验以下假设，即接受左心室起搏治疗的左心室患者之间的真实的街道操作和维护性能没有差异 来自VR-IOMS的O & M培训和那些在真实的街道上接受人类COMS培训的人。三 将实现具体目标。1)设计VR-IOMS。三个VR-IOMS用于三个重要的O & M任务，定时 过信号灯控制的街道，过无控制的街道的时间和学习室外编号系统， 将被设计。这涉及到通过焦点小组收集有关教学这些任务的专家知识 研究，定义智能课程流程，设计虚拟现实中的课程内容。2)实现VR- IOMS。这包括建立虚拟现实模拟器，开发虚拟街道场景，创作 智能球场，智能运维专家与虚拟街道场景之间的编程接口。 3)安装VR-IOMS。将进行随机训练试验，以比较VR-IOMS和人类 COMS操作与维护培训。LV受试者将随机从VR-IOMS学习三个O & M任务， 没有经过训练的人类通信系统所有受试者将被带到真实的街道上， 培训，以评估他们的O & M任务绩效。三是培训前后的业绩变化 将对各组进行比较，以量化相对培训效果。如果这些VR-IOMS被证明是有效的， 在今后的研究中将开发和验证更多的技术。这些训练代理人的临床部署将 使更多LV患者恢复独立旅行。VR-IOMS具有明确定义的培训战略， 对学习者行为的客观评估和定量结果测量，可以作为平台， 先进的O & M研究在此获得的经验可用于改善其他康复领域。

The long-term objective of the research is to use Virtual Reality-based Intelligent Orientation & Mobility Specialists (VR-IOMSs) to teach a large portion of the orientation & mobility (O&M) curriculum to low vision (LV) patients. O&M, the ability to orient oneself and to travel independently, safely and efficiently in any environment, is the foundation of independent living and high quality of life. O&M rehabilitation is the only proven intervention that restores mobility lost to LV. Current O&M rehabilitation is conducted by certified O&M specialists (COMS) in real streets. The shortage and uneven distribution of COMS, the mobility difficulty of LV patients, the long training needed to regain independent travel, the non-reimbursable cost of COMS time and the low income/unemployment status of the LV population make this valuable service inaccessible and unaffordable to many who need it the most. A VR-IOMS, a computer program, combines virtual reality and intelligent tutoring technologies. When VR-IOMS courses are delivered through the internet, LV patients can receive quality O&M training in safe virtual environments at their convenient location and time with little cost. This new intervention can thus reduce the accessibility and affordability barriers to O&M rehabilitation. The proposed research is built on our previous study of teaching O&M skills in virtual streets. It is designed to test the hypothesis that there is no difference in real street O&M performance between LV patients who receive O&M training from VR-IOMSs and those who receive training from human COMSs in real streets. Three specific aims will be achieved. 1) Design VR-IOMSs. Three VR-IOMSs for three important O&M tasks, timing to cross a signalized street, timing to cross an uncontrolled street and learning the outdoor numbering system, will be designed. This involves collecting expert knowledge about teaching these tasks through focus group research, defining intelligent course flow and designing course contents in virtual reality. 2) Implement the VR- IOMSs. This involves building virtual reality simulators, developing virtual street scenarios, authoring the intelligent course, programming interfaces between the intelligent O&M specialists and virtual street scenarios. 3) Validate the VR-IOMSs. A randomized training trial will be conducted to compare VR-IOMS and human COMS O&M training. LV subjects will be randomized to learning the three O&M tasks from the VR-IOMSs, from human COMSs and no training. All subjects will be taken to real streets by COMSs before and after training to evaluate their O&M task performance. Pre- and post-training performance changes of the three groups will be compared to quantify relative training effectiveness. If these VR-IOMSs are proven effective, more will be developed and validated in future research. Clinical deployment of these training agents will restore independent travel to more LV patients. The VR-IOMSs, with their explicitly defined training strategies, objective assessments of learner behavior and quantitative outcome measures, can serve as platforms to advance O&M research. Experience gained here can be used to improve other fields of rehabilitation.