Virtual Reality and Computer-Enhanced Training Applied to Wheeled Mobility: An Overview of Work in Pittsburgh

Some aspects of assistive technology can be enhanced by the application of virtual reality. Although virtual simulation offers a range of new possibilities, learning to navigate in a virtual environment is not equivalent to learning to navigate in the real world. Therefore, virtual reality simulatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Assistive technology 2005-09, Vol.17 (2), p.159-170
Main Authors: Cooper, Rory A., Ding, Dan, Simpson, Richard, Fitzgerald, Shirley G., Spaeth, Donald M., Guo, Songfeng, Koontz, Alicia M., Cooper, Rosemarie, Kim, Jongbae, Boninger, Michael L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assistive Technology
Computer Simulation
Computer Uses in Education
Disabled Persons - education
Disabled Persons - psychology
Disabled Persons - rehabilitation
Evaluation
Health technology assessment
Humans
Microcomputers
Mobility Limitation
Needs Assessment
Pennsylvania
Physical Mobility
Psychomotor Performance
Simulation
Travel Training
User-Computer Interface
Virtual reality
Wheelchairs
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Summary:Some aspects of assistive technology can be enhanced by the application of virtual reality. Although virtual simulation offers a range of new possibilities, learning to navigate in a virtual environment is not equivalent to learning to navigate in the real world. Therefore, virtual reality simulation is advocated as a useful preparation for assessment and training within the physical environment. We are engaged in several efforts to develop virtual environments and devices for mobility skills assessment and training, exercise training, and environment assessment. Virtual reality offers wheelchair users a training tool in different risk-free environments without any indoor (e.g., walls, furniture, and stairs) and outdoor (e.g., curb cuts, uneven terrain, and street traffic) physical constraints. Virtual reality technology will probably become more common in the field of assistive technology, especially given the rapid expansion of gaming technology and the continued exponential growth of computing power.
ISSN:1040-0435
1949-3614
DOI:10.1080/10400435.2005.10132105