The XR Limb is the result of a year long research project where I explored synesthesia and how it relates to amputees and the phantom pain they often feel in their missing limb. It is first and foremost an XR rehabilitation program built on the foundation of mirror therapy, reimagined into a 3D, immersive environment. Its goal is to assist amputees in their recovery while providing an effective, efficient, and engaging experience for both patient and provider.
The program works by tracking the users hand movements and mirroring them onto a completely virtual limb on the opposite side of the body. Mirror therapy is built on the idea that visualizing how your body is supposed to move has immeasurable effects on both the body and brain.
The virtual limb can still interact with and manipulate objects in the environment.
XR Limb was designed to be as lightweight as possible. I identified and removed every barrier found within XR and healthcare. The whole system is completely wireless, no added hardware or sensors, the entirety of the program is contained within the $350 Meta Quest 2 headset.
Virtual puzzles, tutorials, and exercises are used to guide users through the recovery process.
I partnered with Limb Lab, a company specializing in prosthesis design and amputee rehabilitation. With their help, we were able to deploy the program onto real amputees, gaining crucial insights and feedback as to how the program impacted them. Right away, the effectiveness was apparent.
"That was the most she's smiled since her accident" - Patient's Mother in Law
Myoelectric Prosthetics are artificial limbs that can be controlled through muscle signals present in the residual limb. They require extremely accurate calibration. When paired with the XR Limb, we found the physicians could gather data more accurately and efficiently than traditional methods.
The XR Limb being used to calibrate pattern recognition software (left) for a myoelectric prosthesis