Virtual reality: Recent advances in virtual rehabilitation system design

In recent years, humanity has seen a trend towards the use of virtual reality (VR) technologies for rehabilitation and disability support. This is partly driven not only by the decreasing cost and improved accessibility to technology, but also by the growth in expertise of virtual rehabilitation researchers and practitioners. The benefits of virtual reality are becoming well-established in a number of areas such as pain management, physical rehabilitation and cognitive interventions, and research studies have demonstrated benefits across a range of conditions including Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, autism and anxiety disorders. However, the diversity of hardware and software available currently has little standardisation, and patients with disabilities or health conditions often have unique interaction needs which differ from the general population. In this book, the authors explore a number of these issues, presenting recent research findings and technical developments that help them to understand the unique challenges of virtual rehabilitation design and guide future VR system development.