N.B. institute uses virtual reality to simulate real world in rehabilitation – New Brunswick | 24CA News

It’s know-how some may say is in one other actuality — a digital actuality, that’s.

The CAREN system — quick for Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment — has a house on the University of New Brunswick’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering and is doing very important work to assist rehabilitate sufferers.

“The CAREN system is a robotic platform that can move around in all sorts of different ways,” mentioned John Sensinger, director of the IBME. “It has a wrap-around virtual reality screen so we can put people in interesting environments so they are not doing boring applications. But it is also a safe environment.”

The CAREN system has sensors to assist measure motion throughout workouts. There are power plates on the ground of a treadmill on the centre of the system to indicate how a lot power sufferers are placing on their joints. In some simulations, sufferers can self-regulate the tempo of the treadmill.

The base of the treadmill itself strikes left and proper and up and down. A big wrap-around display permits customers to do their workouts in nearly any simulated setting.

Sensinger mentioned the system additionally “enables us to quantify the performance continually and within a single visit but also across visits.” There are solely three CAREN programs in Canada, he added.

The system may be very secure, with each security measures constructed into the tech and a harness to present sufferers assist via their workouts.

Sensinger mentioned digital actuality could make an actual distinction for sufferers working to regain mobility following medical occasions corresponding to a stroke.

“It’s really allowing us to explore questions that we have about best practices in rehabilitation, adaptive rehabilitation, how we can work together with patients, individual patients needs, individual patient capabilities,” he mentioned in an interview on Thursday.

Dr. Colleen O’Connell mentioned rehabilitation works greatest when sufferers can replicate the perform in an setting closest to 1 they could discover themselves in.

“Technology like this helps to replicate and very closely mimic the real-world type of environment in a safe but also a very scientific way,” she mentioned.

While exhibiting a simulation, the crew might change the background from a forest to a cityscape, permitting sufferers to see themselves in areas they could go to over time.

The institute has accomplished work with exo-skeleton robotic units, too.

O’Connell mentioned taking part in analysis may assist sufferers really feel like they’re contributing and making a distinction.

“Being able to participate in research, it offers hope and I think all of those things are very important for anyone going through a rehabilitation process,” she mentioned.

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