Dreaming of virtual reality and rehabilitation technology in the future: virtual reality, robotics and telerehabilitation

The application of robotics to disability and rehabilitation research is growing rapidly. The National Library of Medicine’s MEDLINE reports an increase of robotics citations. Data from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) also show an exponential increase of funding for rehabilitation robotics. The research domains appears to be moving from a paradigm of building robotic arms with which persons with disabilities can perform activities of daily living to a paradigm of developing robotic devices that assist with therapy in the hope of achieving longer-term achievement gains. (Robert Jaeger-2006). “Biomechatronics” is more and more used as a therapy with interaction between technology and users in order to support movement and posture, and can be considered as therapy machines assisting the impaired motor system (P. Veltink2001). Different technology devices are used in neurorehabilitation (cerebrovascular accidents, spinal cord lesions, brain injuries) like functional electrical stimulation (FES) and neuroprostheses , robot -assisted therapy and treatments based on virtual reality and virtual environment.