The pilot phase of the project using drones in the neurorehabilitation of patients with vascular brain injury has begun.

This May marks the start of the pilot phase of a project using drones as an innovative tool in neurorehabilitation (see: Drones as an innovative tool in the neurorehabilitation of patients with vascular brain injuries). The project is coordinated by the Personalized Digital Care Area of the TIC Salut Social Foundation, in collaboration with the Hospital d’Olot and Comarcal de la Garrotxa Foundation and the Castelldefels School of Telecommunications and Aerospace Engineering (EETAC) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC).

Prior to the start of this phase, in January, technology functionality tests were carried out during the project’s design phase, involving two volunteers with a profile of vascular brain injury (VBI). During this stage, three types of drone exercises were tested: hand-controlled drone flight, body-movement-controlled drone flight, and guiding the drone with the hand along a marked floor circuit. At the same time, technical and functional requirements were collected to support the development of a platform that would enhance participant interaction with the drone, including preferences for receiving instructions (visual or auditory).

The results showed that patients were capable of interacting with the drone, displayed a high level of motivation, and quickly understood the exercise instructions. A progressive improvement in their ability to interact with the drone was observed, as well as a clear interest in continuing to work with the technology.

Furthermore, several factors were identified for consideration in later phases of the project, such as patients’ preferences regarding the type of interaction with the drone.

Phase 1: Research study

In this phase, a research study will be conducted with a group of volunteers from the Hospital d’Olot who have agreed to participate. The study has been approved by the Iris-CC Ethics Committee (CEIm) as a proof of concept. The objective is to analyze the impact of using an indoor drone as support in the rehabilitation of patients with vascular brain injury (VBI) and frontal lobe dysfunction. During these sessions, participants will perform exercises guided by hospital neuropsychology professionals, and the impact on cognitive speed, attention capacity, mood, and behavioral control will be measured. For this phase, a platform designed and developed by UPC according to the clinical study’s requirements and needs will be used. Additionally, the usability of the technology and the participants’ adherence to the sessions will be analyzed.