Virtual Reality-Based Rehabilitation for Children with BC Children’s Hospital Digital Lab

Injuries to the upper body in adolescents can result in the loss of mobility, balance, muscle control, and strength. For those undergoing physical rehabilitation, maintaining motivation and engagement during often monotonous therapy sessions becomes a significant challenge. The high costs and inconvenience associated with traditional rehab exercises, such as scheduling therapists and traveling to clinics, further exacerbate the difficulties faced by these young individuals. The inadequacy of conventional rehab methods not only discourages participation but also hampers recovery and affects the overall well-being of patients by impeding their progress.

To tackle issues like limited attention spans and accessibility problems in conventional rehabilitation, one promising avenue is to explore how Virtual Reality (VR) games can be safely integrated into home-based rehab to make the process more engaging and accessible for young individuals. Currently, there are no existing VR products designed to meet this clinical need of the targeted demographic.

Team SevenEleven partners with BC Children’s Hospital Digital Lab to develop a VR gamified at-home rehabilitation exercise designed for adolescents aged 12-18. The objective is to offer a tailored solution that enhances patients' upper body gross motor skills through incremental progressions. It facilitates at-home data collection to be used for clinical diagnostic purposes and for parameters that progressively adjust to challenge the patient appropriately according to their rehabilitation progress. Gamification principles will be adopted to reward patients to keep progressing. It is expected the team will inject novelty in virtual environments and interactive objects so it is aesthetically appealing to users.