An opportunity has arisen for a PhD in the area of Virtual Rehabilitation for Stroke Patients, to be carried out with the School of Informatics & Engineering and the Department of Rehabilitation and Aged Care at Flinders University. The major goals of rehabilitation are the enhancement of functional ability and greater participation in community life. Rehabilitation therapy aims to improve motor, cognitive and sensory functions, to allow patients to participate more fully in everyday life. Abilities and outcomes need to be carefully assessed so that therapy can be tailored to meet individual needs. One of the challenges faced by therapists is to provide intervention tasks that are motivating as well as useful.
Virtual reality-based therapy is a relatively new development in rehabilitation, but its suitability in this arena is becoming rapidly accepted. VR provides the opportunity for experiential learning in a safe yet challenging environment, in which the complexity of tasks can be gradually increased. VR allows for assessment, and can be designed to be motivating and appealing to the patients. The object of the PhD will be to develop an interactive VR simulation created with computer hardware and software to allow rehabilitation patients to engage in a simulated real world environment.
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