Innovative approaches in virtual reality and exercise-based rehabilitation technologies

This thesis investigates the impact of virtual reality and exercise-based rehabilitation technologies on physical and mental health, and proposes innovative approaches in the field. In today's increasingly sedentary lifestyle, exergames have emerged as motivational tools in rehabilitation processes. The central hypothesis of the study is that millimeter-wave radar (MWR) technology can be used for body movement tracking and can provide a new sensor alternative for exergames. Individual users were targeted as the sample group, and the system was tested through two different games (Balloon and Walk). In this study, movement signals captured by the MWR sensor developed by INOSENS were analyzed through a trained artificial intelligence model to detect basic actions such as walking forward/backward and arm lifting. These motion data were integrated into Unity-based exergames. Furthermore, in collaboration with systems provided by Becure GmbH, a real-time multiplayer infrastructure was established using Photon Fusion to enable remote interaction between therapist and patient. A virtual clinic environment was created where the specialist could observe the user and communicate via voice. The results demonstrate that the MWR-based human motion detection system can be effectively integrated with exergame applications, offering a reliable solution for remote rehabilitation.