Avoiding boredom and anxiety: A study for rehabilitation application

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the use of virtual reality in physical rehabilitation and some thoughts about implementations of the virtual environment (VE) applied to a rehab robot. The point of view is not just technical but also based on the aims of the technology itself from a user's point of view. Objective of this paper is to present an initial study on virtual reality interface applied to a robot for shoulder rehabilitation. A reflection about anxiety and boredom emotions guides through an analysis of possible improvements of a first simple environment that facilitates patients' movements.