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Updated: Aug 13, 2026
Using Virtual Reality to Transfer Motor Skill Knowledge from One Hand to Another
Published on: September 18, 2017
Virtual reality and haptics as a training device for movement rehabilitation after stroke: a single-case study
Jurgen Broeren1, Martin Rydmark, Katharina Stibrant Sunnerhagen
1Mednet, Göteborg, Sweden. jurgen.broeren@mednet.gu.se
Objective:
To investigate whether training in a virtual environment with a haptic device will improve motor function in the left hemiparetic arm of a stroke subject.
Design:
Single case, A-B-A design.
Setting:
University hospital research laboratory.
Participant:
A man in his late fifties (right handed), with a right-hemisphere lesion that caused a deficit in the left upper extremity.
Intervention:
The subject trained with a 3-dimensional computer game during a 4-week period that consisted of twelve 90-minute sessions.
Main Outcome Measures:
Three tests (Purdue pegboard test, dynamometer hand-grip strength, upper-extremity test) and a subjective interview were used to evaluate motor performance.
Results:
Improvements were found in fine manual dexterity, grip force, and motor control of the affected upper extremity. The subject reported that there was a change in his day-to-day use of the upper extremity and that he was able to use it in activities that were previously impossible for him.
Conclusions:
Training with virtual reality and haptics can promote motor rehabilitation.
