How Virtual Reality is paving the way for medical breakthroughs
No, virtual reality isn’t limited to gaming or entertainment. This emerging tech has already disrupted several markets and has been specifically proven to facilitate new and improved methods of rehabilitation in healthcare.
During the research phase of VU, we visited the UCLA center for bionics and saw some amazing examples of neurogenesis (building new connections inside the brain) using VR. This has led us on a path of discovery to some of the most incredible medicinal and scientific breakthroughs enabled by VR.
In the United States, someone has a stroke every 40 seconds on average. A stroke can lead to catastrophic brain injury which can affect everything from speech to movement capability.
Medical professionals have been teaming up with software developers such as Gleechi and CAREN to create simulations to help improve treatments for those with impaired mobility and motor problems due to brain injury or to combat a degenerative disease such as Parkinson’s Disease.
Speaking about the CAREN system at a clinic in Cleveland, Jay Alberts, Ph.D. asserts the following:
“We know in neural rehabilitation, you have to challenge patients for them to get better, so this provides a very safe environment for that to occur”
CAREN rehabilitation treatments use a treadmill-type setup with VR technology. Using customized programs for each patient, the system enables the patient and physiotherapist to work on specific factors and skill sets that need stimulation or improvement.
Humans not only use the many hundreds of bones and an unfathomable amount of nerve endings and neurons to walk and move throughout life. We also use depth perception and many different visual cues to keep us upright. For instance, when you pass someone in the street, there’s an unspoken method of moving past each other to avoid physical confrontation.
Aside from the “which way are you going” dance, which can sometimes occur when signals get confused, the brain executes these tactics developed over millions of years of co-existing with others perfectly.
But what happens when these types of signals are completely broken or damaged? Suddenly, it becomes unsafe to go out into the world as before. The whole system needs to work as a unit to prevent accidents. Risk by exposure, therefore, becomes a big problem for those that have suffered an injury that affects the way the brain understands the body’s movement and interactions with the world.
VR could be the answer to the concern for safe rehabilitation. VR could offer patients a more efficient and individualized method of retraining their bodies, or even for stimulative purposes when managing chronic conditions. This has the potential to revolutionize healthcare as we know it.
Ciaran Foley is CEO of Ukledo and Immersive Entertainment, Inc. a Southern California virtual reality software company developing a new virtual engagement platform called Virtual Universe (VU).
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