Revolutionizing Rehabilitation
The Virtual Vitality project merges virtual reality with physical therapy, creating an immersive game to enhance finger mobility for stroke recovery. This VR solution exemplifies innovation in rehabilitative care, offering a compelling, interactive path to wellness.
Ideation and Collaborative Planning
Initiating with a series of consultations with physical therapists, our team delved into identifying the most impactful exercises for VR adaptation. Our internal brainstorming sessions were key to uniting our interests and selecting a singular exercise to develop. To ensure our ambitions were achievable, we discussed our plans with VR experts, setting realistic goals for what we could create as novices with a tight 2-to-3-month timeframe.
Virtual Game Development
Diving into game development, we embarked on an intensive learning journey with Unity, a platform none of us had worked with before. This educational deep dive spanned from the basics of coding to asset creation. Our dedication was particularly focused on integrating hand-tracking technology, essential for a VR project intended for rehabilitation purposes without the use of controllers.
User-Centered Design & Iteration
Enhancing the user experience was a process of continuous improvement, driven by iterative feedback to refine the interface, visual cues, and application simplicity. Our target users, stroke survivors who are often elderly, required that the game be as user-friendly as possible, necessitating multiple design iterations to ensure accessibility and ease of interaction.
Interactive Showcase and Networking
The project's pinnacle was a dynamic showcase event where we presented Virtual Vitality alongside our classmates' projects. The day was marked by a live demonstration, offering a diverse audience, from VR hobbyists to industry professionals, a chance to engage with our creation. This event provided invaluable feedback and served as a platform for networking and professional exchange.