Integration of a virtual reality scenario with a BCI based on motor imagery for application to rehabilitation of neurological patients

• Grant number: 20/16800-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2021
• End date: January 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Gabriela Castellano
• Grantee: João Alfredo Santos de Meireles
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/07559-3 - BRAINN - The Brazilian Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, AP.CEPID

Abstract

Several technologies based on virtual reality (VR) have been developed to assist in the rehabilitation of neurological patients. These technologies are usually called "serious games", as opposed to computer games used with a focus on leisure. The success of serious games, especially in motor therapy, seems to be based on their ability to trick the brain into thinking that the body is better than it really is, for example, showing in the virtual world a greater reach for a disabled limb than it has in the physical world. VR can provide a "real world" experience for patients with disabilities in a controlled environment, where they can be monitored and cared for; it can also offer the possibility of telerehabilitation, in which a therapist can monitor several patients remotely; finally, VR therapy is generally more fun than conventional methods, which ensures greater patient involvement. On the other hand, brain-computer interfaces (or BCIs) based on motor imagery have also been used as auxiliary tools for the motor rehabilitation of different types of patients. BCIs are systems that translate brain signals directly into commands for an external device. Our group has worked both with the development of VR applications for rehabilitation and with the study and development of BCIs based on motor imagery. The objective of this project is to integrate both systems developed in the group, that is, a BCI based on motor imagination with VR applications, to be used together in rehabilitation systems for neurological patients.