Virtual Reality-based Wheelchair Driving Simulator via BCI in Continuity of Care Settings for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Powered wheelchairs (PWs) enhance the quality of life for individuals with neuromotor disorders. Virtual reality (VR) is emerging as a promising alternative for PW mobility training, as it reduces the burden on therapists and enables users to train in a completely safe environment. Furthermore, home-based systems have emerged as a viable platform for delivering unsupervised training, increasing accessibility, and ensuring continuity of care for patients in their homes. This thesis aims to assess the feasibility of using a VR simulator to improve powered wheelchair (PW) driving skills in children with cerebral palsy (CP), in both clinical and home settings. The VR simulator is designed for inclusivity, offering fully immersive and semi-immersive modes, and utilizing various access technologies, including a brain-computer interface (BCI) based on EEG and EOG signals. Additionally, the study investigates the impact of a head-mounted display (HMD) on EEG signals. Two studies were conducted to assess the feasibility of VR: the first involved 6 children with CP, and the second involved 3 adults. Additionally, one study was implemented to investigate the influence of an HMD on EEG signals, involving 5 adults. The results showed that a VR application for home-based PW training in children with CP was well-received and required no trained operator assistance. The BCI study confirmed feasibility in adults with up to 100% accuracy, offering insights for adapting the study protocol for children with neuromotor impairments. The EEG study found increased frontal alpha activity when wearing an HMD compared to without. In future studies, it is essential to refine PW VR training protocols, explore long-term impacts, and expand BCI applications. This includes the possibility of conducting training in fully immersive mode and directly testing it on children with CP.