HealthXR - XR for healthcare: immersive and interactive technologies for serious games and exergames

Presenters 

(click on [pdf] to download the slides presented during the Tutorial)

Manuela Chessa - University of Genoa - Dept. of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics, and Systems Engineering [pdf]


Fabio Solari - University of Genoa - Dept. of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics, and Systems Engineering [pdf]
 

Summary

In this tutorial, we will present and discuss the challenges of exploiting novel XR technologies in the field of healthcare, specifically to develop serious games and exercises for a wide range of cognitive and physical issues, ranging from training to assessment. In such a domain, VR experts should collaborate and work in synergy with doctors, physiotherapists, and healthcare specialists. Though the interest in XR applications in healthcare has recently gained popularity, a big gap between the technological advances in VR and 3D technologies and their effective use in clinical practice still exists. Indeed, XR setups adopted by hospitals and rehabilitation centers seldom exploit the more recent VR/AR/MR solutions. On the other hand, VR/AR/MR researchers still pay little attention to the cognitive, perceptual, and physical specificity of patients and users affected by specific disabilities and impairments.

In this tutorial, Manuela Chessa and Fabio Solari will exploit their expertise in the development of VR and AR solutions, with specific attention to cognitive and perceptual aspects. Their expertise comes from a longtime collaboration in international projects addressing healthcare issues.

The aim of the tutorial is to revise the theoretical backgrounds of VR development, to present and discuss the opportunities and the limits of current technologies and software solutions, and to focus on the existing gaps between VR communities and healthcare ones.

The presenters will share examples from their collaborations with hospitals and research centers during the tutorial.

The tutorial is supported by the FIT4MEDROB (PNRR) "Progetto" Fit4MedRob- Fit for Medical Robotics", Piano Nazionale Complementare (PNC) - Italy.

Last update 19 March 2024