Projects

中風復健 (Stroke Rehabilitation)

Stroke has been the leading cause of long-term disabilities. Nearly 80% of stroke survivors do not reach the expected functional level in their upper extremity after 3 months, making it difficult for them to perform daily activities and contributing to a poor quality of life.

We developed an innovative VR system that integrates various emerging technologies (i.e., robotics, wearable sensors, motion tracking, and stereo imaging) to address specific poststroke motor deficits of the upper extremity. In addition, we investigated biosignals gathered from EEG, EMG, fMRI, and motion sensing using computational intelligence (e.g., machine learning and neural-network) to construct new assessment methods for clinical diagnosis. Randomized clinical trials (RCT) were performed on 45 stroke patients to verify the efficacy and feasibility of use. In addition, to address a pressing need for novel, pervasive, and easily deployable information technology applications in health care, we extended the existing system by connecting it with a cloud computing system (Microsoft Azure) to build a telerehabilitation system, which is currently under clinical testing.

身體平衡功能障礙復健 (Vestibular Dysfunction Rehabilitation)

Chronic imbalance is common in patients with vestibular dysfunction and negatively affects quality of life. Vestibular rehabilitation exercises, such as Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises, involve simple, repetitive movements; however, their feedback and adaptive training protocols are considerably limited. We developed an interactive VR training system that adopts Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises, and we designed a sensor-based system from which balance is quantified as indices for assessment. A clinical experiment was performed on 49 patients to verify the therapeutic effects and feasibility of using the designed systems. Moreover, support vector machine (SVM) classifiers were applied to develop a balance assessment tool for diagnosis.

五十肩、冰凍肩復健(Frozen Shoulder Rehabilitation)

Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a common clinical shoulder disorder. Because of a shortage of physical therapists, patients must often perform rehabilitation exercises on their own at home. However, a prolonged and monotonous exercise routine tends to diminish the patience required to complete the exercises, thus affecting therapeutic effects. Integrating virtual reality with wearable sensors, we developed the Goal-Directed Frozen Shoulder Rehabilitation System to improve the range of motion and muscle endurance of the shoulder. We performed randomized clinical trials (RCT) with 32 patients, indicating that the efficacy as exhibited in the experimental group was significantly superior to that of the control group. In addition, computational intelligence, including machine learning and neural-network, is applied to construct new assessment methods for clinical diagnosis. Moreover, the existing system was extended to be a telerehabilitation system using a cloud computing technique and is currently under clinical testing.

注意力不足過動症(Attention Deficit Hyper Activity (ADHD))

Nearly 5% of school-age children suffer from ADHD, which may give rise to an inferiority complex, personality disorders, interpersonal impediments, and antisocial behavior in affected children. We utilized a head-mounted display and surround-sound equipment to generate a 360° immersive virtual environment, Virtual Classroom, in which attention and cognition tests are embedded, by coordinating various visual and auditory distractions. We intended to interpret children’s behavior and conduct assessments by synchronizing multi-model data (eye tracking, EEG, head motion, leg motion), distractions, and performance of tests on a timeline. This system is currently under clinical testing.

阿茲海默症(Alzheimer's Disease)

The number of patients with AD has gradually increased in aging societies worldwide. The diagnosis, early treatment, and training for patients with AD, particularly for those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), are prevalent concerns today. Focusing on cognitive functions, such as executive function, memory, spatial memory, and visual spatial and visuoconstruction skills, we developed a battery of virtual environments simulating life scenarios, such as ATM, 7–11, to assess or train an MCI. Furthermore, advanced display technology (head-mounted displays or 3D-stereo displays) and interactive technology (touch panels, Microsoft Kinect, or 6-DOF sensors) were utilized to enhance the engagement of elderly people and to record their behavior. The system is currently under clinical testing.

心理旋轉(Mental Rotation)

Mental rotation concerns the spatial processing ability and is considered as an essential element in various occupations (e.g. pilot, surgeon, and dentist), life tasks, and learning (e.g. geometry, physics, and chemistry). Specifically, mental rotation is perhaps the most reliable cognitive task in producing a large gender difference in performance. Following cognition loading theory, we developed an innovative 3D interactive mental rotation system equipped with stereo imaging and full 6-DOF control, which was intended to reduce cognition loading. Thus, we investigated a series of psychological problems regarding the mechanisms of gender difference in performance, behavior, and strategy. Furthermore, we evaluated whether the proposed system can improve the mental rotation ability and reduce the gender difference.

壓力認知表現(Stressed Cognitive Performance)

To examine whether cognitive functions can be performed normally under intensive stress in military combat, a virtual environment, Virtual Iraq, is integrated with a battery of neuropsychological measures to assess the ways in which the structure and function of the brain relate to specific psychological processes and overt behaviours: attention-vigilance, effort, abstraction-flexibility, executive functioning, spatial organisation, visual-motor processing, processing speed, visual memory, verbal abilities, and verbal memory and learning.

懼曠症(Agoraphobia)

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by panic attacks at specific places or locations. Exposure therapy, which is a traditional therapeutic method for anxiety disorder, allows the patient to experience what he/she worries about or fears toward eventually gaining emotional relaxation and cognitive reconstruction. Focusing on specific places such as tunnels, elevators, and metro trains, we developed a series of virtual environments for each location and integrated them with a biofeedback system, including an electrocardiogram, skin conductance, peripheral temperature, and respiration rate, as a tool for treating agoraphobia. Based on the measurements of heart rate variability, we investigated whether anxiety can be similarly triggered in virtual and augmented reality situations.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is caused by traumatic events such as those involving military combat, violent personal assault, being kidnapped or taken hostage, terrorist attacks, torture, incarceration as a prisoner of war, natural or man-made disasters, automobile accidents, or being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Exposure therapy is applied so that repeated exposure to a feared stimulus for prolonged periods leads to habituation and extinction. To treat Iraq War veterans diagnosed with PTSD, an immersive virtual environment, Virtual Iraq, was developed. It delivers a comprehensive range of objective VR exposure scenarios that can be tailored to the individual experiences of a person with PTSD. It “contains a ‘“Wizard of Oz”’ clinician’s interface that enables the clinician to control the virtual environment in real time to modulate the patient’s anxiety level as required for therapeutic gain.

顳骨手術(Temporal Bone Surgery)

Simulation is used in medical education for multiple specialties including emergency medicine, paediatrics, anaesthesiology, obstetrics and gynaecology and surgery. We focused on the temporal bone, because it is the most intricate and complex structure encountered by otolaryngologists, and evaluated an existing virtual reality temporal bone simulator by performing a subject test on otolaryngology residents and medical students. The results obtained from applying the VR simulation to effective surgery practice demonstrated immense potential. We are currently developing a more flexible temporal bone simulator that can be quickly customized for individuals.