Development of a method for motivating children during exoskeleton rehabilitation exercises using virtual reality technology

Kiselev A.D., Silakova L.V.

Rationale: There is a problem of lack of motivation among children during rehabilitation with an exoskeleton. This is due to the fact that the rehabilitation process is routine and requires a lot of effort from patients. Daily work with the exoskeleton requires emotional and physical concentration from the patient. Lack of motivation leads to the fact that about 30% of patients do not complete the rehabilitation program.

Objective: development of a method and determination of the technical features of a tool for increasing the motivation of children during exercises with an exoskeleton using virtual reality.

Methods: Conduct an analysis of potential solutions that can increase patient motivation (search for the strengths and weaknesses of solutions and price analysis among the identified options). The search for solutions will take place in open sources. Next, you need to conduct a survey among patients in order to determine the most preferred solution for them. After that, it is necessary to identify the main technical requirements for the product and the key characteristics of the solution. Based on the data obtained, it will be possible to create a product concept, which may include different entities (application appearance, game scenarios, psychologist workflow, etc.).

Results: An analysis of potential solutions that could increase the motivation of patients was carried out (search for strengths and weaknesses of solutions and price analysis among the identified options). To analyze the problem and find solutions, open information sources were used, surveys and interviews were conducted among therapists and patients. Based on the analysis and interviews, the main technical requirements for the tool (product) and the key characteristics of the method were determined. The conducted research makes it possible to create a concept of a product, which may include different entities (the appearance of the application, game scenarios, the scheme of the work of a psychologist, etc.).

Conclusion: The developed method, which includes game scenarios and identified requirements for the product, contributes to the further development of the study, namely: the development of a product prototype (MVP), testing it on patients during exoskeleton training, and further integrating new scenarios into the rehabilitation process. Thus, this study is intermediate in the overall study of the effectiveness of VR applications in the process of rehabilitation with an exoskeleton.

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