Virtualware and Kessler Foundation announce
landmark $352,000 deal to further boost VR in
rehabilitation.
Continued development of virtual reality tool aims to
improve rehabilitation outcomes after stroke
East Hanover, NJ – December 7 , 2023
– Kessler Foundation, a leader in rehabilitation
research and Virtualware, a frontrunner in Europe's virtual
reality market join forces in a new $352,000 deal to continue
further research and development aimed at advancing spatial
neglect rehabilitation using virtual reality (VR) and
tele-rehabilitation technology.
This latest development stems from a strong,
ongoing partnership initiated in 2018 between the VR innovator and
the New Jersey-based disability-focused non-profit.
The intervention, known as Kessler Foundation
Spatial Retraining Therapy (KF-SRT®), continues to be
developed under the direction of the Foundation’s senior research
scientist Peii Chen, PhD, at the Center for Stroke
Rehabilitation Research. KF-SRT aims to enhance control of
spatial attention and body-environment awareness through an
immersive training process, which is a safe, interactive, and
game-like VR environment. The flexibility of the portable VR
equipment allows KF-SRT to be implemented in various clinical and
home settings.
“Since 2018, this partnership has been marked by
continuous innovation and has revealed a significant advance in the
development of immersive VR technology for the treatment of spatial
neglect, a hidden disability among individuals who have sustained
stroke and other types of brain injury,” said Dr. Chen. Spatial
neglect disrupts basic self-care and daily activities, hindering
rehabilitation outcomes and functional recovery.
“KF-SRT is grounded in established theories of
neurorehabilitation for spatial neglect. By making the treatment
game-like, we improve patient engagement and motivation to complete
the treatment regimen while receiving rehabilitative benefits,”
noted Dr. Chen. “As VR hardware and software become more affordable
and accessible, innovative therapy paradigms like KF-SRT will
continue leading the way in rehabilitation, facilitating treatment
delivery, improving outcomes, and reducing the burdens on
individuals, families, and society.”
KF-SRT engages the user's visual system through
stimuli presented in a head-mounted display while simultaneously
engaging their motor system through head and positional tracking
and a marker-less hand-tracking device. The Annals of Physical
Medicine & Rehabilitation published "Immersive virtual
reality treatment for spatial neglect: An agile user-centered
development process" (DOI: 10.1016/j.rehab.2021.101592), authored
by Dr. Chen and Denise Krch, PhD, senior research
scientist in the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research in
which they reported that therapists expressed unanimous
satisfaction with the KF-SRT user interface, and patients have
reported a preference for the VR experience over conventional
therapy.
Julio Alvarez, Global Healthcare Strategy
Director at Virtualware remarks “For many years, we have been
working at the intersection of digital technology and health,
developing innovative solutions derived from the latest scientific
research and the collective experience of our team. The current
project continues to pose an attractive technological challenge for
Virtualware, and we are excited to deliver a series of digital
interventions that may aid individuals with neuropsychological
impairment on their road to recovery”.
“In this landmark collaboration with the Kessler
Foundation, we at Virtualware are excited to push the boundaries of
virtual reality in rehabilitation. Our commitment, through this
important deal, is to innovate and expand our VR technologies for
the betterment of those suffering from spatial neglect” Unai
Extremo, CEO of Virtualware, concluded.
Virtualware is a global pioneer in developing
Virtual Reality solutions for major industrial, educational, and
healthcare conglomerates. Since its founding in 2004, the company
has garnered widespread recognition for its accomplishments.
In 2021, Virtualware was acknowledged as the world’s most
Innovative VR Company. It is based in Bilbao, Spain, and has
offices in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
The company went public on Euronext Access Paris in
April 2023, where its stock currently trades at 7.50 euros a
share.
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization
in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation
research. Our scientists seek to improve cognition, mobility,
and long-term outcomes, including employment, for adults and
children with neurological and developmental disabilities of the
brain and spinal cord including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord
injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and autism. Kessler
Foundation also leads the nation in funding innovative programs
that expand opportunities for employment for people with
disabilities. For more information,
visit KesslerFoundation.org.
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