Rossol, N., Cheng, I., Bischof, W. F., & Basu, A. (2011). A framework for adaptive training and games in virtual reality rehabilitation environments. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Virtual Reality Continuum and its Applications in Industry, 343-346.

The training of severely disabled individuals on the use of electric power wheelchairs creates many challenges, particularly in the case of children. The adjustment of equipment and training on a per-patient basis in an environment with limited specialists and resources often leads to a reduced amount of training time per patient. Virtual reality rehabilitation has recently been proven an effective way to supplement patient rehabilitation, although some important challenges remain including high setup/equipment costs and time-consuming continual adjustments to the simulation as patients improve. We propose a design for a flexible, low-cost rehabilitation system that uses virtual reality training and games to engage patients in effective instruction on the use of powered wheelchairs. We also propose a novel framework based on Bayesian networks for self-adjusting adaptive training in virtual rehabilitation environments. Preliminary results from a user evaluation and feedback from our rehabilitation specialist collaborators support the effectiveness of our approach.

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