Validation of a Virtual Reality-Based Timed Up-and-Go Test Using Body-Worn Motion Trackers.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Technology
• Human Movement Analysis

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) offers novel methods for functional assessments like the Timed Up-and-Go (TUG) test.
• Full-body motion capture with VR systems can augment traditional TUG evaluations.
• Investigating the parametric equivalence of VR-based TUG (vTUG) to standard TUG (sTUG) is crucial for clinical adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if the VR Timed Up-and-Go (vTUG) test is parametrically equivalent to the standard TUG (sTUG).
• To assess the performance of chair, walk, and turn components in the vTUG compared to the sTUG.
• To evaluate the utility of VR body trackers for kinematic analysis in functional mobility tests.

Main Methods:

• Twenty healthy adults performed both sTUG and vTUG tests.
• Body trackers captured kinematics; TUG time was measured manually and automatically.
• Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis assessed agreement.
• User satisfaction was evaluated via a custom survey.

Main Results:

• High agreement (ICC > 0.8) was observed between sTUG and vTUG for total time measures.
• Acceptable agreement (ICC > 0.7) was found for chair rise, walks, and the first turn.
• Lower agreement (ICC < 0.7) was noted for the second turn and sit phases.
• User satisfaction was high, with no adverse events reported.

Conclusions:

• The vTUG test demonstrates parametric equivalence to the sTUG, validating its use as an alternative assessment tool.
• Sub-task segmentation in vTUG requires further research for precise analysis.
• VR body trackers provide added value for kinematic data in both vTUG and sTUG, warranting further investigation.