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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Rehabil. Sci.
Sec. Rehabilitation Engineering
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fresc.2024.1288945
This article is part of the Research Topic Advanced AI techniques in Rehabilitation View all articles

Proximal Auditory AR Rehabilitation: System Integration and Wellness Applications ~ from hearing support up toward vestibular rehabilitation ~

Provisionally accepted
Jinyoung Lee Jinyoung Lee 1*Shigekazu Ishihara Shigekazu Ishihara 2Keiko Ishihara Keiko Ishihara 3Ken Ito Ken Ito 1
  • 1 The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Japan
  • 2 Hiroshima International University, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan
  • 3 Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, Hiroshima International University, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    We present a new rehabilitation system based on novel principles, which consists of an auditory AR headset we originated. The auditory AR headset, which does not cover both ears, allows users to hear both Real and Virtual environmental sounds at the same time. It can also be used in combination with Hearing Aids. We have studied a system to support hearing-impaired people and conducted a test evaluation. The system was able to provide convenience like "reading glasses for sound" to those who with mild hearing disabilities. Furthermore, by combining the system with surrounding speakers, a completely novel virtual auditory illusion was created in which the sound image jumps into the ear and run away. We name this “Proximal Auditory AR system (PAAR)". This system directly affects the unconscious level of reflexes for maintaining a standing position and can generate very subtle body motion disturbance. Using this system, we can modulate the standing posture and observe the autonomic nerve system's ability to subliminally compensate for the disturbance, using a stabilometer which measures body sways by Center Of Pressure (COP). We observed a significant difference in the declination of COP only when using the PAAR, which is combined with speakers array and the auditory AR headphone, compared using a conventional closed-type and a bone conductive headphone. By analyzing such big data of physical movement through machine learning, we expect to realize new systems for diagnosis, rehabilitation, function maintenance, and fall prevention.

    Keywords: Auditory AR 1, proximity 2, extrapyramidal tract 3, Parkinson's disease 4, vestibular rehabilitation 5

    Received: 05 Sep 2023; Accepted: 17 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lee, Ishihara, Ishihara and Ito. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jinyoung Lee, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Japan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.