Conventional Mirror Therapy versus Immersive Virtual Reality Mirror Therapy: The Perceived Usability after Stroke

Area of Science:

• Neurorehabilitation
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Stroke survivors often face long-term upper-limb impairments requiring extensive rehabilitation.
• Mirror therapy (MT) is a conventional approach, while immersive virtual reality mirror therapy (VR) offers a novel alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the perceived usability of conventional mirror therapy (MT) versus immersive virtual reality mirror therapy (VR) for stroke rehabilitation.
• To evaluate participant experience and comfort levels with both MT and VR systems.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 45 participants (15 stroke survivors, 15 older adults, 15 young controls).
• Participants completed tasks using both MT and VR in a semi-random order.
• Usability was assessed using System Usability Scale (SUS) and NASA-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), alongside experience-related questions.

Main Results:

• Both MT and VR demonstrated comparable perceived usability.
• MT was perceived as more adaptable and caused less discomfort.
• VR led to a higher perception of task difficulty and enhanced focus on the feedback, potentially due to increased immersion.

Conclusions:

• Despite VR's lower comfort levels, attributed possibly to goggle fit, both therapies exhibit similar perceived usability.
• Comfort is a critical factor influencing the adoption and effectiveness of VR in upper limb stroke rehabilitation.