Head mounted display effect on vestibular rehabilitation exercises performance

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Clinical guidelines suggest Mixed Reality (MR) environments benefit vestibular rehabilitation for peripheral vestibular hypofunction.
• The HOLOBalance platform utilizes Augmented Reality (AR) via low-cost Head Mounted Displays for vestibular exercises.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of AR equipment on performance during common vestibular rehabilitation exercises.
• To assess the effect of AR on head movement frequency and perceived exercise difficulty in healthy adults.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-five healthy adults performed three standard vestibular rehabilitation exercises.
• Exercises were executed both with and without AR equipment.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in head movement frequency (yaw plane) were observed during vestibular adaptation (p<0.001).
• AR equipment use showed statistically significant differences in perceived difficulty for vestibular-oculomotor adaptation (pitch plane, p=0.049) and standing exercises (p=0.0001).

Conclusions:

• AR equipment shows potential in modifying exercise performance and perceived difficulty in vestibular rehabilitation.
• Clinical protocols incorporating AR technology require adaptation to meet healthcare professionals' needs.