'Rehabilitation Exercise at Home' With Augmented Reality (AR) Home Training
Many stroke patients are easily exposed to accidents such as falls due to loss of balance. Although there is a rehabilitation program to prevent these accidents, the reality is that 73% of patients experience a fall within one year of a stroke.
The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Samsung Medical Center introduced the ‘Augmented Reality (AR) Home Exercise’ program for a more effective rehabilitation treatment for stroke patients.
Augmented Reality adds a sense of reality by utilizing three-dimensional virtual images to real images. AR home exercise program uses AR equipment that is installed at home. When the user stands in front of the installed monitor, the sensor recognizes the patient's body and can see the patient's movements on the screen. Movements are then converted into points, and when patients achieve 80% or more in each session, they move on to the next level. Patient rehabilitation exercise scores are then recorded for each session and delivered to professional therapists. Based on the individual rehabilitation exercise records that are delivered regularly, professional therapists can provide appropriate feedback of the patient's treatment progress during weekly telephone consultations.
Professor Chang, Wonhyuk stated, “By applying the next-generation Augmented Reality technology to the rehabilitation exercise program, which has not changed much, ‘personalized rehabilitation treatment’ can be carried out at any time at the convenience of the patient’s home. Furthermore, we will continue to focus on how to provide better treatment methods to improve the patient's quality of life.”