Haptic Effects for Virtual Reality-Based Post-Stroke Rehabilitation

The majority of today’s haptic interfaces are designed for hand-based interaction with virtual environments. However, there are several reallife tasks that require a person to interact with the environment using one’s foot. Researchers have developed systems for simulating walking in a virtual environment. This paper describes a different approach to foot based interactions, intended for users in sitting position. A VRbased rehabilitation system using a prototype Rutgers Ankle device is presented, along with the methods of enhancing interaction realism through haptic feedback. Two application examples used for post-stroke patient rehabilitation are presented. Initial results from pilot clinical testing are briefly described.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: HAPTICS
• Authors: Rares F. Boian, Judith E. Deutsch, Chan Su Lee, Grigore C. Burdea, Jeffrey A. Lewis
• Keywords: HAPTICS 2003, Reallife Tasks, Today’s Haptic Interfaces, Virtual Environment, Virtual Reality