Trial operation of a cloud service-based three-dimensional virtual reality tele-rehabilitation system for stroke patients

We developed a tele-rehabilitation system to improve community rehabilitation for patients who are discharged early from hospital. The developed tele-rehabilitation system consists of devices designed to reduce the physical and economic burden on users while promoting optimum user movement. A Backend-as-a-Service cloud computing service was used for the communication between terminals. A non-contact sensor, Kinect, was used to measure movement. In addition, we used a three-dimensional (3D) display to present 3D images using binocular parallax, to encourage smooth movement of patients. We used this system for stroke patients and found improvements in task-performance time, smoothness of movements, and range of motion in all patients. No major issues occurred during the tele-rehabilitation. These results demonstrated the high operability and efficacy of our cloud service-based 3D virtual reality tele-rehabilitation system.

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