Biomechanics and Ergonomics

The functionality of the human hand can be affected by several pathologies, such as osteoarthritis, traumatic injuries, or carpal tunnel syndrome. Aging and neurological disorders may also play a role, hindering daily activities and reducing quality of life. To mitigate these effects, traditional rehabilitation therapies, such as ultrasound, exercises, and joint mobilization, have evolved into immersive virtual applications. These therapies, known as “serious games,” use virtual reality and optical systems to motivate patients, improving mobility, strength, and coordination. Some integrate hand rehabilitation exoskeletons (EMRs), maximizing benefits.

Usability and cognitive load are key aspects to consider in these therapies. Virtual therapies often feature complex environments with three-dimensional instructions and stimuli, which can be difficult to understand, especially when EMRs are involved, leading to frustration and abandonment. Proper therapy usability promotes treatment adherence and facilitates understanding of tasks and outcomes.

To evaluate usability and cognitive load, subjective questionnaires are commonly used, complemented by biometric data such as eye-tracking, which relates visual attention to information acquisition. However, usability evaluations in immersive virtual therapies are still scarce and often combine subjective metrics with objective data in a limited way.

This project aims to develop and validate specific protocols that integrate objective (biometric) and subjective (user experience) metrics to evaluate usability and cognitive load in virtual therapies with and without EMRs. Additionally, these protocols will be applied to healthy participants and patients with hand functionality impairments to analyze differences in usability and cognitive load based on the therapy environment (real environment, mixed reality, and virtual reality) and the use or non-use of an EMR. The results of this project may contribute to improving the design and selection of therapies, optimizing their effectiveness, and reducing abandonment rates, thereby positively impacting users' quality of life.