The use of Virtual Reality to limit falls and advance stability in older people is being investigated

The use of Virtual Reality to limit falls and advance stability in older people is being investigated by a research team from Bath University’s CAMERA motion capture research centre.

Physical tests on treadmills are traditionally used to evaluate stability; however, this can be risky and inaccurate.

The researchers wanted to study how VR technology could present a solution. Dr Pooya Soltani, from Bath University, worked alongside Renato Andrade, from from Clínica do Dragão, Espregueira-Mendes Sports Centre.

Data was analysed from nineteen studies to examine the reliability, utility, safety, validity and effectiveness of using head-mounted display systems for training and evaluating balance in older adults. The results were declared in the journal Frontiers in Sports and Active Living.

Dr Soltani stated: “Our pipeline included photogrammetry for realistic avatars, motion capture for driving the avatar and updating the visual scene inside the headset and the game engine for adding extra elements to the VR scene. In these cases, simple scenarios with fewer elements are preferable and we can increase the complexity of the system as patients gain more experience. Therefore, depending on the purpose of the study, age and severity of disease of the users, we are able to create realistic and simple avatars.”