Barron Associates development of an immersive virtual reality system for stroke therapy

Barron Associates has initiated development of an immersive virtual reality system for stroke therapy under a new Virtual Activities of Living for Occupational Rehabilitation (VALOR) SBIR Phase I project sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant 1R43HD107718). The VALOR system will enable telehealth delivery of evidence-based upper extremity (UE) stroke therapy in a patient’s home. It combines innovative use of low-cost VR headset technology with software for computer-guided practice of activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADLs (IADLs). Virtual activities will provide individualized UE range of motion (reach difficulty), movement dosage (repetitions), and cognitive challenge as prescribed by a therapist who remotely monitors exercise compliance and performance using a mobile provider web app. Integrated tracking enables telehealth feedback and monitoring of motor function via UE performance metrics that will be validated against gold-standard measures in the Phase I pilot study.