Research Report - Virtual Reality

VIRTUAL REALITY : HELPING THE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY WOUNDED

2007

Computer technology 's positive impact on culture is overt . Human beings accomplish tasks faster , more efficiently , and in a greater number . In fact , most of society 's day-to-day tasks involve a computer at some point , whether we are corresponding in a professional environment or simply watching a favorite program on the television . Ours is truly and indisputably an electronic era . However , how can computers impact us on a more personal level ? How can these machines affect our lives at the most personal

point of all , our health ? Virtual reality specialists are answering that question with the advent of exciting new technologies - technologies which promise invaluable new tools in the fight against physical and mental ailments . Two such technologies - CAREN and virtual combat simulation - have validated the use of virtual reality in the medical community . These revolutionary treatments offer new hope for two diverse groups , physiotherapy patients and combat veterans stricken with mental illness

Technology plays a crucial role in virtual reality therapies . One prominent technology utilized in physiotherapy is Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN . This revolutionary program is the creation of MOTEK , a motion simulation company . MOTEK developed the virtual reality system as a healing assistance tool for the disabled and the injured . CAREN sessions generally last for half an hour , and take place three times a week . During the sessions , patients are monitored with sensors to the body . These sensors monitor both patient movements and vital signs . Movements are encouraged by a computerized system which features sight simulation and a series of steps . The simulation recreates the visual of a choppy sea on a screen placed in front of the patient . The patient then uses the steps (which recreate the movements of a boat ) to navigate through the waves . One war injury patient described the experience as follows : They put the platform in a way that I will walk mostly on my injured foot ( Virtual Reality 1 . Although many countries use CAREN for medical research , Israel was the first country to use the system specifically for medical treatment Beneficiaries pay roughly 600 ,000 dollars for the technology

A synonymous technology has received a show of faith from the highest power in the country , the United States government . Government officials have invested in a series of virtual reality program designed to help war veterans afflicted with Post Traumatic Stress Dis (PTSD . Sessions run for five weeks , roughly ten therapy sessions . The system first stimulates the senses of sight , smell , hearing , and touch by simulating everyday scenes from a combat country . For example , an Iraqi scene might include such common objects as mosques , villages , and desert roads . After the patient has acclimated to these scenarios , the program then fully immerses the patient in a virtual combat scene complete with all of the accompanying sights , sounds , smells , and tactile sensations . Dr . Albert Rizzo , whom has played a key role in developing the technology for Afghanistan and Iraq veterans , has witnessed his program...