Penumbra REAL y-Series
The first-ever full-body, hands-free VR rehabilitation platformAward: Bronze
Category: Education
Subcategory: VR for skill-building
From the winners: “Penumbra’s REAL y-Series is the first and only hands-free, full-body virtual reality (VR) platform for rehabilitation. With upper and lower body sensors to track full patient movement and progress in real time, REAL is designed to fuel intrinsic motivation, allowing therapists to challenge & engage patients in new ways in pursuit of their goals.”
“Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability and reduces mobility in more than half of stroke survivors aged 65 and over. In fact, of the nearly 800,000 people who have a stroke each year in the U.S., almost two-thirds require some form of physical rehabilitation. There are a number of barriers to patient engagement, including motivation, availability of rehabilitation resources. The REAL Immersive System is advancing conventional rehabilitation by using virtual reality designed to help improve patient confidence, motivation and adherence to physical and occupational therapy, with the support of their therapist.”
“Two of the largest challenges in rehabilitation are maintaining patient motivation and lack of engagement. By enabling patients to immerse and visualize their entire body in motion and providing clinicians the ability to individualize each therapy session to challenge and motivate patients, the REAL y-Series can maximize the key benefits of rehabilitation therapy. By promoting higher engagement and intensity, it has the potential to improve patient outcomes faster. Extensive research, including over 5,000 journal articles and 600 randomized controlled trials, support the use of VR with conventional therapy to deliver better outcomes.”
“The REAL y-Series is transforming conventional physical and occupational therapy by using VR to enrich patient confidence, motivation, and compliance. Take for example Deb, a woman in her 50s whose left arm was impacted by a stroke. She dreaded going to therapy, but with the use of the REAL System, she loved how she was transported to another world and enjoyed the immersive experience of VR. It’s currently being used in clinics and hospitals across the country, including Veterans Affairs hospitals, to address core and balance, cognition, functional mobility, activities of daily living training and functional cognition.”
“Research shows that the need for innovative rehabilitation has never been greater. YouGov conducted a survey in September 2022 of more than 100 physical therapists in the U.S. and found that 75% of clinicians say patient compliance is the biggest challenge in physical therapy. However, more than half believe that VR can change that and 65% would be eager to try VR in their practice. VR can serve as a solution to many of the challenges that patients and clinicians face. This immersive technology has the capacity to support many conditions and as technology progresses, so does the opportunity for VR to support many more patients.”
“Penumbra’s REAL y-Series is the only hands-free virtual reality rehabilitation platform on the market that addresses both upper and lower body injuries with a full-body avatar. With the addition of lower extremity capabilities, the latest REAL y-Series can support a broad range of physical and cognitive needs for patients undergoing physical or occupational therapy. Through VR activities designed in partnership with award-winning game designers and leading healthcare professionals, the purpose of the REAL System platform is to motivate patients like never before, helping them get back to their lives as quickly as possible.”