March 9, 2026 | Duke I3T Lab’s VR rehabilitation work advances to clinical evaluation in the Duke University Hospital's cardiothoracic intensive care unit
Duke I3T Lab’s work on VR for physical rehabilitation in the intensive care unit has advanced to evaluation in a registered Duke University clinical trial. The study, “Designing a Virtual Reality Intervention to Improve Physical and Psychological Health in Intensive Care Units (GAMERS)” (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06797895), evaluates VR-assisted mobility for patients in Duke University Hospital’s cardiothoracic intensive care unit.
The clinical trial builds on the I3T Lab’s collaboration with Duke’s cardiothoracic surgical ICU nursing team on patient-centered VR for early mobility and rehabilitation. The study investigates a nurse-led implementation of VR experiences for patients on prolonged bedrest, together with engineering-led patient-centered customization of the VR applications. Outcomes include feasibility and usability as well as measures of patient mobility and psychological well-being. We recently summarized the VR exergame we have developed for this project in a paper that appeared in IEEE TVCG 2026 and was presented in IEEE VR 2026: Rhythms of Recovery: Patient-Centered Virtual Reality Exergame for Physical Rehabilitation in the Intensive Care Unit.