A new project aims to reduce rehabilitation time for patients with stroke, dystonia, and sports injuries by up to 30% using a VR gaming platform.

Funded by the European Commission as part of the Horizon 2020 initiative, the two-year PRIME-VR2 project will create a ‘digital environment’ using VR within rehabilitation programmes.

Academic and engineering experts from the University of Strathclyde and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) will be working alongside UK and EU partners on the project.

The tech aims to improve speed and completion rates of recovery by boosting stimulation, complementing traditional methods, while also easing the physical demands placed on occupational and physical therapists.

Structured as a level-based system where patients must complete online games to make progress, the digital platform allows medical staff to track patient progress using game data and provide ongoing support virtually.

The tech will help patients develop upper body motor skills to improve arm, wrist, hand, and finger movement, while providing personalised activities depending on their unique cognitive and physical impairments.

Commenting on the project, Kareema Hilton, Manufacturing Engineer at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, said: “This is a fantastic project that is allowing us to use developments within digital technology to potentially improve healthcare.

“The use of additive manufacturing demonstrates the benefits of a flexible design that can be made bespoke to an individual user – in this case, to support an individual’s physical needs to assist rehabilitation.

“We’re working closely with our colleagues in the University of Strathclyde and the wider consortium, bringing expertise from a variety of backgrounds to ensure that the virtual platform and physical controller are fully reflective of each patient’s requirements.”