Overcoming the information overload problem in a multiform feedback-based virtual reality system for hand motion rehabilitation: healthy subject case study

• Published in: Virtual reality : the journal of the Virtual Reality Society Vol. 16; no. 4; pp. 325 - 334
• Main Authors: Ma, Sha, Varley, Martin, Shark, Lik-Kwan, Richards, Jim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer-Verlag 01.11.2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Artificial Intelligence; Computer Graphics; Computer Science; Feedback; Hands; Image Processing and Computer Vision; Motor ability; Patients; Rehabilitation; SI: Cyberworlds09; Tasks; Training; User Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction; Virtual reality; Virtual world; Hand motion; Multiform feedback; Function rehabilitation; EMG; User training for immersive environment
• ISSN: 1359-4338; 1434-9957
• DOI: 10.1007/s10055-012-0209-2

The use of composite multiple feedback in a newly proposed virtual reality system enables the patient to perceive similar real-world performance in the virtual world. However, it might cause information overload, which makes the patient feel confused and distracted during training. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of having separate function-specific feedback pre-training prior to the final multiform feedback task. During the evaluating tests with thirty healthy subjects, it has been found that effective pre-training set could overcome the problem in the main task. Minor modifications on the pre-training set could overcome or aggravate the problem, which indicates the importance of choosing the correct pre-training parameters.