THRIVE: Therapeutic Humanoid Robot In Virtual Environment
2026-08-14 • Robotics
Robotics
AI summaryⓘ
The authors created THRIVE, a home therapy system that helps kids with arm movement problems by combining fun virtual reality games, a camera that tracks how they move, and a robot coach. The games focus on important arm skills like reaching and grabbing, while the robot gives real-time feedback to keep the child motivated and on track. Their design allows the robot part to be swapped out or used remotely, making the system flexible, affordable, and easier to use at home for consistent practice.
rehabilitationupper-limb motor impairmentsvirtual realitymotion trackingrobot therapistkinematic performanceadaptive feedbackhuman-robot interactionhome therapymodular system
Authors
Jin Xu, Yu-Ping Chen, Ayanna Howard
Abstract
This paper presents THRIVE (Therapeutic Humanoid Robot In Virtual Environment), an at-home rehabilitation platform that integrates a suite of virtual-reality upper-body rehabilitation games, a real-time camera-based motion-tracking system, and a socially interactive robot therapist. The system is designed for therapy and intervention in children with upper-limb motor impairments, which can be improved through consistent, task-specific practice. THRIVE features a set of newly designed, engaging games that target functional reaching, grasping, and object-manipulation movements through customizable popping, hitting, catching, and grabbing tasks, while the camera-based tracking system captures the child's kinematic performance during play. A robot therapist - deployable either as a physical robotic coach or as a remote-presence virtual agent - delivers adaptive, dynamic feedback to motivate the child and guide their movements toward therapeutic goals. THRIVE decouples the therapeutic games from the robot embodiment, extending the platform to support various embodiments and different robots within one modular system. This robot-agnostic design makes THRIVE affordable, scalable, and readily adaptable for sustained use in the home, offering a practical pathway to more consistent and engaging upper-limb therapy for children with motor function impairments.