Open-source version of Curictus VRS commercial stroke rehabilitation product, including hardware schematics, client software, server backend for analytics, 12 training activities and 6 assessments.
Product video: http://vimeo.com/22131349
Curictus has emerged as a spin-off from a research project carried out at Sahlgrenska Academy. The project involved use of virtual reality and haptic technology for rehabilitation after acquired brain injury.
Clinical research involving the use of the VRS in stroke rehabilitation confirmed that VRS is a valuable and useful rehabilitation tool. The first publication came out in 2002 and a number of other scientific papers have been published since then.
In April 2010 Curictus was acquired by the JSM Group. Since then, the company focused on the home market, with the goal to raise the interest of the rehabilitation community. The market development has not been the one we hoped for and financial considerations compel us to shut down the company.
However, we strongly believe in the value and potential of our system and we do not wish to let all the work, investment and gained knowledge go to waste. Therefore, Curictus’ owner, JSM Group has decided to donate to the open source community the results of Curictus’ work on the VR System. This website contains the source code and documents that will allow researchers and interested scientists to build the system and continue to develop and improve it, for the benefits of science and patients with acquired brain injury.
Curictus VRS is a modern rehabilitation system, employing state-of-the-art technology to create a realistic environment, enhance the training experience and facilitate the relearning processes. Curictus VRS makes use of serious games, delivered in a semi-immersive virtual environment enhanced by haptics and co-location.
Serious games are games designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment, such as training and / or solving healthcare problems. In our case, we design serious games for rehabilitation. Our games are designed with two imperatives in mind: they are training/rehabilitation exercises AND they are fun. Traditional physical therapy is often boring and tedious and patients have a hard time concentrating and / or practicing the required time. When they play our games, the time is just flowing.
Virtual environment (or virtual reality – VR) is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate places and objects in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds. The objects projected in VR are called virtual objects.
Immersion is the feeling of being inside and a part of the VR and the ability to interact with this environment in meaningful ways. VR immersion is likely to increase the user’s concentration on the tasks performed in the VR, and facilitate his/her participation.
Haptic technology (haptics or force-feedback), is a tactile feedback technology that takes advantage of a user’s sense of touch by applying force, vibration and/or motions to the user. When using haptics, virtual objects appear to have weight, resistance and inertia. Experiments show that haptic feedback significantly improve both task performance and user-felt presence when training in virtual environment.
Co-location of haptic and visual sensory modes means that virtual objects will be seen in the virtual environment and felt through the haptic interaction in the same place, just as they would feel in the real world. Co-location is a prerequisite for training of eye-hand co-ordination in virtual environment. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect on user performance of co-located haptic feedback. Results show that co-location is an important factor, and when coupled with haptic feedback the performance of the user is greatly improved.