Interactive Virtual Ankle Movement Controlled by Wrist sEMG Improves Motor Imagery: An Exploratory Study

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) offers immersive experiences for motor imagery training.
• Surface electromyography (sEMG) can detect muscle activity for intention recognition.
• Early-stage stroke rehabilitation requires innovative methods to improve motor function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of VR immersion on body illusion, kinesthetic illusion, and motor imagery in stroke patients.
• To assess the impact of motivation and attention using wrist sEMG as a trigger for virtual ankle motion.
• To determine the acute effects of this VR-feedback system on motor function in stroke patients.

Main Methods:

• Developed a VR interactive system using continuous sEMG signals from contralateral wrist movement to trigger virtual ankle motion.
• Compared VR immersion with a 2D condition for illusion and motor imagery performance.
• Assessed sustained attention and motivation with and without sEMG feedback during repetitive tasks.
• Evaluated the acute effects on motor function through a series of experiments.

Main Results:

• VR significantly enhanced kinesthetic illusion, body ownership, motor imagery performance, and motor memory compared to 2D.
• Contralateral wrist sEMG feedback improved sustained attention and motivation during repetitive tasks.
• The combination of VR and sEMG feedback demonstrated an acute positive impact on motor function.

Conclusions:

• sEMG-based immersive VR feedback is an effective option for active rehabilitation in early-stage severe hemiplegia.
• This approach shows significant potential for clinical application in stroke recovery.
• The system enables training even without active ankle movement, addressing a key rehabilitation challenge.