Advanced interaction systems in mixed reality environments
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Date
2026-07-02
Authors
Παπαδόπουλος, Κωνσταντίνος
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Abstract
The integration of Virtual Reality (VR) into pediatric neurorehabilitation offers significant promise in enhancing patient engagement and promoting neuroplasticity. However, clinical adoption of immersive systems is often hindered by patientisolation, clinician passivity, the inaccessibility of physical controllers, and scorebased outcomes that ignore movement quality. This thesis presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an PC-VR rehabilitation platform designed for pediatric occupational therapy (targeting ages 6–16). The system architecture partitions the clinical workflow into two parallel operational planes: a Patient Execution Plane delivering an immersive VR environment via a standalone headset (Meta Quest 3), and a Clinical Control Plane providing the therapist with a 2D desktop dashboard for real-time kinematic visibility and adaptive parameter modulation. To eliminate controller barriers and quantify movement quality, the system integrates native optical hand tracking, external vision-based body pose and hand estimation (Google MediaPipe), and vibrotactile feedback (bHaptics) that delivers tactile cues. The framework features three mini-games targeting specific motor primitives: GridDefender (gross motor), PinchAndPlaceFactory (fine motor/precision), and WireLoop (stylus-based). A clinical feasibility and usability study involving 32 pediatric patients, 2 neurotypical controls, and 6 clinical practitioners across 118 sessions demonstrated high patient engagement and safety, with a 100% session completion rate and zero reports of cybersickness. Quantitative analysis validated the reliability of upperbody telemetry, while outlining the physical limitations of lower-limb optical tracking due to camera occlusions. Practitioners reported that the real-time telemetry and post-session playback features significantly enhance clinical oversight and progressive treatment planning, establishing a robust technical foundation for datadriven, pediatric rehabilitation.
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Keywords
Virtual reality, Occupational therapy, Optical hand tracking, Vibrotactile feedback, Kinematic telemetry