An Open-Source, Wheelchair Accessible and Immersive Driving Simulator for Training People with Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Independence is one of the greatest achievements for people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). Indeed, mobility represents a big challenge that needs to be addressed, also considering that road accidents are frequently the cause of SCI. Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) combined with a driving simulator may provide a realistic experience, helping users to relearn driving and overcome the traumatic event. The aim of this project was to implement a wheelchair accessible, immersive driving simulator for the training and assessment of SCI people. Here we present a proof of concept of an open-source, VR compatible, driving simulator. The system combines a VR headset with an adaptive driving controller and a VR scenario. Starting from CARLA, an open simulator for autonomous driving, we created driving scenarios designed to fit the needs of SCI rehabilitation. Also, we defined future developments required to create a device usable for the assessment of cognitive and motor abilities.

F.G. and A.Be. equally contributed to this work, This work was supported by the “Spinal Cord Italian Laboratory” (S.C.I.L.) of the Unità Spinale Unipolare, Santa Corona Hospital of Pietra Ligure (SV, Italy) and the “Centro di Simulazione e Formazione Avanzata” (SimAv) of the University of Genova (GE, Italy).