The inspiration behind VR-Hab was deeply rooted in the realization that neurological conditions such as Parkinson's, ALS, and cerebral palsy affect countless individuals worldwide, often requiring consistent therapy and rehabilitation. Recognizing the need for accessible and innovative solutions, our team was inspired to develop a unique, novel approach that was not readily available in the market. We aimed to create a comprehensive, future-proof platform that could cater to the diverse needs of patients while revolutionizing the physical therapy experience. VR-Hab commits to making therapy and rehabilitation more engaging, cost-effective, and accessible to communities around the world, ultimately enhancing the lives of those impacted by these neurological conditions.

This project is split into three main parts:

Therapy and Rehabilitation: Its primary purpose is to provide therapy and rehabilitation to individuals suffering from Parkinson's disease, as well as similar conditions like ALS and cerebral palsy. This project offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional therapy, making it accessible to a wide range of communities.

Education and Awareness: VR-Hab also aims to tackle the issue of limited awareness about Parkinson's Disease. It accomplishes this by delivering essential information about the condition in an engaging and educational manner, helping users better understand the disease.

Revolutionizing Therapy: The most significant aspect of VR-Hab is its ambition to revolutionize the world of therapy. It achieves this by offering stress-free exercises in a fun and safe virtual environment. This innovative approach not only enhances the therapy experience but also encourages patients to stay engaged and motivated.

Building VR-Hab was a significant challenge, especially considering it was an entirely new project for our team. We learned many new technologies along the way and our tech stack played a vital role in bringing VR-Hab to life.

• Unity, a powerful game development engine, which was new to us. Learning how to leverage Unity effectively was a steep learning curve, but it allowed us to create an immersive virtual environment.
• C# was our programming language of choice within the Unity environment. We used it to code the interactions, mechanics, and functionalities that make VR-Hab a dynamic and engaging experience for users.
• Google Cloud was used to backup all files such as assets, scripts, textures and more. This in the future will serve as the backbone of our project, enabling us to store and process data securely. This will be essential for managing user information and progress within the VR therapy sessions.
• Figma, a design tool, helped us conceptualize and visualize the user interface and overall user experience. It allowed us to iterate and refine our designs until they met our standards of usability and aesthetics.
• We also utilized an open-source library called XR Origin, which contributed to the project's immersive qualities. This library helped us integrate XR (extended reality) elements seamlessly into our virtual environment.

Of course, the hardware was a crucial component. We relied on the Quest headset and its controllers to deliver the VR experience to the users. These devices provided the necessary input and output mechanisms to make VR-Hab engaging and interactive.

Throughout the development of VR-Hab, we encountered several challenges. One of the significant hurdles was designing tests that effectively translated therapeutic exercises into a gamified format while concealing the overt physical therapy aspect of the experiences, ensuring they remained engaging and enjoyable for users. Additionally, getting Unity set up with the correct version and enabling user movement with the controllers within the virtual environment. Implementing the scoreboard system. Creating a smooth drawing experience on the virtual whiteboard and ensuring objects are appropriately destroyed upon trigger interactions. Lastly, optimizing the code to run at a smoother frame rate was a challenge to ensure a seamless and immersive user experience. Despite these challenges, our team overcame each obstacle and delivered a high-quality VR therapy platform.

One of the accomplishments we're immensely proud of is achieving most of our goals within an exceptionally tight timeline. Despite the challenges and constraints we faced, our team’s (comprised of mostly first-time hackers) dedication and hard work enabled us to make substantial progress and meet the project goals that we set on day 1.

We learned how to use Unity, C#, VR movement APIs, Google Cloud, wireframing, complex events within the game such as scoreboard mechanics, switching scenes using portals and colliders, and more.

In the next phase of development, VR-Hab plans to expand its offerings with a variety of experiences, including classes led by humanoid avatars for activities such as Zumba, Tai Chi, and Dance. To enhance the therapeutic benefits, machine learning algorithms can be integrated to recognize users' body positions and provide real-time feedback on posture and alignment. Additionally, data analytics and reporting tools will be introduced to systematically track user performance data, generating informational reports for healthcare providers. To make sessions more enjoyable and motivating, custom sound and music integration, including options for connecting to Spotify or Apple Music, can be implemented with the ability for users to receive personal messages and encouragement from friends and family, fostering a more supportive and engaging environment for users' therapy and rehabilitation experiences.

Health Education Game: VR-Hab can be used by non-Parkinson's patients as well. There is an information room that provides more insight into Parkinson's disease, its effects, and more. Additionally, you can play the same games just for fun!

Patient Engagement: VR-Hab is not only a more cost-effective alternative (putting the product in the reach of all communities) to physical therapy and rehab but also serves as a great motivator for patients to perform and repeat exercises, keeping them engaged in a stress-free environment.

Patient Safety: VR-Hab places a strong emphasis on patient safety. All experiences within VR-Hab are designed to be conducted from a seated position, which inherently reduces the risk of physical accidents or falls during use. This ensures that patients can engage with the virtual environment without the concern of potential injuries that may arise from standing or moving around.