8 | UC MERCED RESEARCH AND ENTERPRISE
Virtual Reality for Customized Remote
and Monitored Physical Therapy
z
Therapists create and
modify exercises remotely
by performing real-time
demonstrations
z
Patient progress
can be monitored
and recorded
remotely
z
Motion analysis via color-coded
visualization allows for comprehensive
metrics in evaluating range of motion
and quality of motion
z
Greatly
improved
patient
compliance
z
Networked
remote
therapy
Background
After injury or surgery, many recovering patients are given initial
instructions outlining the various exercises they will need to perform as
part of their recovery regimens. These instructions are often difficult to
understand and provide no mechanism for ensuring proper execution
or assessment of overall progress, especially when such exercises are
performed at home. Further, even when therapeutic exercises are per-
formed correctly, there is no way to allow a therapist to evaluate patient
improvement either qualitatively or quantitatively.
Description
PROFESSOR MARCELLO KALLMANN
at UC Merced and colleague
PROFESSOR JAY HAN
of UC Davis, understanding the unmet need
in physical therapy, developed a novel algorithmic application for
the health care field that employs virtual characters, or avatars, and a
motion-capture interface to improve physical therapy for upper-body
limbs.
Applications
There are no known physical therapy software systems that
offer 3-D interfaces designed to model motions provide re-
mote interactions between patients and therapists. This sys-
tem allows patients to better learn their required exercises
while under remote supervision. Participation and progress
can be monitored and logged. The remote consultation and
customizable exercises are novel features never described
in any relevant literature.
This technology was recently licensed to a California start-
up company founded by physicians who are colleagues of
the inventors. The company intends to further the algo-
rithm and ultimately to introduce new and useful human
diagnostics and therapeutics. Kallmann will continue to
develop new algorithms for virtual-reality therapy for
patient rehabilitation.
