Rehabilitation in the metaverse: trials begin at Versilia Hospital with immersive augmented reality rehabilitation

The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa is one of the leaders in the development of a new augmented reality motor rehabilitation system. Clinical trials have begun at the Versilia Hospital as part of the European SUN (Social and Human Centred XR) project, funded by the European Union's Horizon programme.

The contribution of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, under the responsibility of Daniele Leonardis of the Institute of Mechanical Intelligence, concerns the development of innovative tactile devices for the upper limbs, which allow patients to interact with virtual elements superimposed on the real world, improving the effectiveness and naturalness of rehabilitation exercises.

The project, coordinated by Giuseppe Amato of the “Alessandro Faedo” Institute of Information Science and Technologies of the CNR in Pisa, involves 18 partners from eight European countries and three research centres in the Pisa and Versilia areas: CNR, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies and Azienda USL Toscana Nord Ovest with the “Versilia” hospital, the latter being the site of the clinical trial.

The technology developed overcomes the limitations of traditional virtual reality: thanks to a special headset, users can move freely in a real environment, enriched with virtual elements that allow them to perform targeted motor exercises.

"The use of augmented reality - explains Federico Posteraro, Director of the Rehabilitation Medicine Department - allows for flexible rehabilitation treatment that can be adapted to the patient's needs. At the same time, compared to other virtual reality systems, direct visualisation of the surrounding environment facilitates more natural rehabilitation treatment, improving communication between patient and therapist".