XR-FOG: A mixed reality approach to treat Freezing of Gait in patients with Parkinson's disease

The computational capability of recent VR technologies has significantly increased, with the introduction of new devices that implement both Virtual and Augmented Reality, such as Oculus Quest 2 In this context, we present XR-FOG: an application to support patients with Parkinson's disease to overcome Freezing of Gait. While wearing the headset, the user will see a crowd of virtual people appearing in his/her room (he/she will also hear the chatting voices of the characters) and a path on the floor to guide him/her across the crowd, in an AR experience. The user can also exercise in a full VR experience, in this use a virtual room full of people has been designed. The usability of the application was tested with 10 participants not suffering from Parkinson's. The results showed how the AR experience in particular did not cause motion sickness and was perceived as realistic, with participants reporting that they felt real people in their rooms.