Rehab in virtual reality

Undergoing rehab treatment at a professional sports level and having fun at the same time - something that seems almost categorically impossible at first could become a reality in the not too distant future. With the help of virtual and augmented reality, doctor Taher Pham wants to revolutionise the local rehab landscape: VReha Pro is the name of the project that the Friedrich Naumann Foundation scholarship holder has been pursuing for almost a year. Together with the medical director of the Athleticum at Hamburg University Hospital, PD Dr Götz Welsch, he is working on a training concept that is geared towards professional sport but should also work for normal rehab patients: "We want normal people to have access to a really good rehab programme - and later be able to train without a physiotherapist," says Pham. An ambitious goal that could soon become a reality with the help of Dr Welsch, who is also HSV's team doctor. But how exactly does the new programme work?

Rehab meets gamification

With the help of movement tracking, every movement of the patient is precisely recorded by a camera. Using VR glasses, the patient sees their skeleton in front of them and the software immediately mirrors back where they are making the wrong movement. The patient is therefore able to monitor themselves with the software. The various exercises are of course discussed with the doctor beforehand. "The patient has to go to an appropriately equipped practice and undergo various tests. They are then given a suitable training programme, which is carried out at the rehabilitation centre," says Pham. The appeal for the patient lies not only in the self-monitoring, but especially in the gamification approach. Anyone who wants to can use the VR glasses to train in the jungle or slip into a Superman costume. There are virtually no limits to the possibilities for your own avatar or the environment. "You can also stand on a balance pad, for example, and the VR glasses give you the feeling of balancing on a rope or you have to avoid objects," reveals the doctor. When an exercise is completed, the imaginary audience applauds. An energy display that fills and lowers depending on performance is also conceivable. The patient works his way from training level to training level according to this principle.

The VR team

To drive the gamification approach forward, a game designer from the University of Hamburg was brought on board a few weeks ago, and collaboration with a games company is also being considered. But of course the work is not done with this alone. The lion's share of the programming work was done by the Hamburg-based companyAbsolute Software Two programmers are responsible for the VR project. In Oliver Rößling, Pham has also found an expert with an excellent network who has already realised formats such as 12min.me andnextReality.Hamburg was jointly responsible for the programme. The programme is being developed as part of the EU projectcross motionwhich has been networking the AV and video games industry with the education, tourism and healthcare sectors since 2016. The appropriate support is therefore in place, but the team still faces several challenges: "Dr Welsch's training programme has already been digitised by Absolute Software and us. However, we have to wait until the hardware and software for movement tracking has improved further - that will happen this year. Then tracking will be possible in a way that was barely imaginable a short time ago," says Pham.

Rehab anywhere

However, the biggest nut to crack for the young start-up will be the medical device certification, which is associated with high costs and long waiting times of two to three years. Pham needs the certificate in order to be recognised by health insurance companies later on. If necessary, he says, you first have to start outside of Germany to avoid the certificate. However, the Hamburg native is still in good spirits and is already thinking ahead: "The hardware will be drastically minimised in the next six to twelve months. We are currently working on a small VR computer that stands in front of you with a camera. And at some point, you'll be able to use this computer and headset to train alone at home and actually anywhere. This is particularly interesting when you consider that health insurance companies only pay for five weeks of rehab at a time."

Incidentally, the team is not afraid of competition at the moment. Companies that market rehabilitation software based on the same principle are a dime a dozen, but they do not provide medically validated programmes and are miles away from replacing real rehabilitation - quite unlike VReha Pro. But it will probably be some time before the virtual world is ready. However, we are sure that we will be hearing a lot more from the Hamburg-based start-up.