This article is part of the series Virtual Reality in Rehabilitation, edited by Emily A Keshner.

Review

Video capture virtual reality as a flexible and effective rehabilitation tool

Patrice L Weiss¹ , Debbie Rand¹ , Noomi Katz² and Rachel Kizony^1,2,3

¹  Dept. of Occupational Therapy, University of Haifa, Israel

²  School of Occupational Therapy, Hadassah-Hebrew University, Israel

³  Dept. of Occupational Therapy, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Israel

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Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation 2004, 1:12doi:10.1186/1743-0003-1-12

Published:	20 December 2004

Abstract

Video capture virtual reality (VR) uses a video camera and software to track movement in a single plane without the need to place markers on specific bodily locations. The user's image is thereby embedded within a simulated environment such that it is possible to interact with animated graphics in a completely natural manner. Although this technology first became available more than 25 years ago, it is only within the past five years that it has been applied in rehabilitation. The objective of this article is to describe the way this technology works, to review its assets relative to other VR platforms, and to provide an overview of some of the major studies that have evaluated the use of video capture technologies for rehabilitation.