Intelligent Virtual Reality Therapy Systems for Motor and Cognitive Rehabilitation: A Survey based on Clinical Trial Studies

Rehabilitation is the process related to the recovery, maintenance or improvement of physical mental and / or cognitive skills necessary to carry out daily activities. Virtual reality therapy, virtual reality (VR) immersion therapy, simulation therapy or virtual reality exposure therapy is an intervention method of using virtual reality technology for psychological or occupational therapy. The possibility of simulating situations necessary for the treatment, controlling variables and reducing the patient’s exposure to risks are popular factors for this tool. Many studies indicate that therapy with the aid of virtual reality brings great benefits to the patient. In this article, we present, through a review of 117 articles, the feasibility of applying VR in treatments with clinical trial methodology, identifying through the "Patient, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes" the characteristics, population, treatment time, forms of comparison and if the results obtained are effective. The characteristics identified during the process show that virtual reality applied to therapies can be used without negative interference in the treatment. In addition, the results show that VR in rehabilitation treatments are motivating and show better results than traditional treatments.