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Development and Validation of a Feedback-Enhanced Virtual Reality System for Body Position Measurement in an Exercise Program
ABSTRACT
Background:
Virtual reality (VR) systems are increasingly used in rehabilitation to facilitate motor learning by providing visual feedback. However, few studies have validated the motion tracking accuracy of VR devices compared to gold-standard motion capture systems.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate the validity of a custom VR-based rehabilitation system (VRactice) by comparing its motion tracking data with that of a Vicon motion capture system during a goal-directed reaching task in healthy adults.
Methods:
Sixteen healthy participants performed reaching tasks in a VR environment while being tracked simultaneously by both the VRactice system and a Vicon system. Trackers and reflective markers were attached to the hand and elbow to capture three-dimensional (3D) coordinates. Each participant performed 10 reaching trials at a frequency of one hertz. Data were up-sampled to 100 Hz, synchronized, and normalized to the initial position. Valid cycles were identified, and distance time series from the initial position were extracted for the 500 ms interval preceding the peak displacement. For each participant, all valid cycles were pooled, and the coefficient of determination (R²) between VRactice and Vicon trajectories was calculated.
Results:
Strong agreement between VRactice and Vicon was observed at both the individual and group levels. The R² ranged from 0.75 to 0.99 across participants, and all comparisons were statistically significant (P < .001). Deviations between the two systems remained minimal, confirming that VRactice reliably reproduced the temporal and spatial characteristics of reaching trajectories. At peak displacement, the mean absolute distance between the two systems was 36.5 ± 7.3 mm, indicating clinically acceptable spatial agreement for upper-limb reaching measurements．
Conclusions:
The findings support the validity of VRactice in capturing reaching movements with high spatial accuracy compared to a motion capture system. By providing reliable motion data, VRactice may serve as a useful platform for delivering real-time visual feedback and supporting motor training applications in rehabilitation settings.
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Copyright
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