A rehabilitation simulator for patients with hand mobility problems using virtual reality technologies

A hand is one of the most important parts of the human body; its injuries seriously affect even normal activities. Thus, restoring the hand function and mobility is one of the most complex and important topics for normal daily life. The subject of this study is a hardware-software simulator complex to rehabilitate patients with hand mobility disorders using virtual reality technology. The topic is relevant due to a higher level of patient's interest and motivation, which can potentially increase the interest and effectiveness of rehabilitation procedures. The authors have analyzed modern motion modeling methods, as well as the use of a virtual reality technology for rehabilitation and tracking changes in motor functions of patients with cognitive prob-lems. The result of the study is a prototype glove and software for collecting information about the finger flexion degree, as well as a set of exercises for a patient and rehabilitation progress recordings for further analysis. The paper presents a possible architecture option for integrating the reading glove with modern VR systems. Practical relevance relates to the introduction of an experimental method for rehabilitation, the ef-fectiveness of which has been proven theoretically and will probably be effective in practice, which is planned to be proven later. Section 6 outlines further plans for the glove development, as well as the addition of functionality to the rehabilitation application.