Leveraging wearable haptics for guidance in virtual rehabilitation: effects on motor control from an immersive VR setting

Immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) interventions have emerged as effective complements to conventional rehabilitation, with advantages in terms of flexible parametrization, extended data recording and patient engagement. Home-rehabilitation is another impactful, yet unexplored potential. A key requirement is ensuring that patients execute tasks with proper motor coordination and postural awareness: to this end, tactile sensory feedback can be introduced to enhance both immersion and motor guidance. We investigate here the efficacy and the effects on motor coordination of tactile guidance provided within an iVR rehabilitation serious game. A wearable haptic armband, delivering directional continuous and vibrotactile feedback, has been developed to guide grasping and pronosupination tasks. We evaluated the interaction on motor control and task execution using objective performance metrics, biomechanical responses, and subjective assessments, in a group of 12 healthy subjects, and a preliminary feasibility study with two participants with stroke. Findings show that haptic guidance in iVR statistically significantly enhances movement precision, reduces variability, and induces adaptive changes in muscle coordination. Feedback from clinical tests further indicates preliminary indications of usability and acceptability of the developed technology as part of a rehabilitation program. These results underscore the promise of haptic-enriched iVR systems for advancing both clinical and home-based motor rehabilitation.