MIDAS, a lightweight, portable multisensory system combining a hand exoskeleton, VR, and olfactory subsystem, was feasible in a five-person pilot of stroke survivors and user experience scores were higher in Session 3 than Session 1 for four participants, but the study did not establish an overall increase in rehabilitation motivation.
Key Findings
Abstract
The authors developed MIDAS, a lightweight, portable proof-of-concept system that engages four senses during stroke hand rehabilitation.
MIDAS consists of three subsystems: a hand exoskeleton, a virtual reality (VR) subsystem, and an olfactory subsystem.
Together the components engage four senses during rehabilitation.
The game environment, sound effects, and scent were selected to create a multisensory experience.
The system was developed to explore feasibility, user experience, and self-reported responses.
Methods
A three-session exploratory pilot with five stroke survivors tested MIDAS with subsystems added progressively.
Five people affected by stroke participated across three sessions.
The subsystems of MIDAS were added progressively in each session.
The study was exploratory and designed to assess feasibility and user experience rather than efficacy.
Results
User experience scores were higher in Session 3 than in Session 1 for most participants.
Scores were higher in Session 3 than Session 1 for four of five participants.
Scores were unchanged for one participant.
Session 3 was when the full multisensory system was in use, given progressive addition of subsystems.
SRMS scores decreased across sessions for two participants.
They increased between Sessions 1 and 3 for two participants.
They remained unchanged for one participant.
Conclusions
Responses to several individual questionnaire items were favorable, but the study did not establish an overall increase in rehabilitation motivation.
The authors state that favorable item-level responses were observed.
Given the mixed SRMS results in a sample of five, no overall motivation increase was established.
What This Means
Researchers built a prototype rehabilitation system called MIDAS to help stroke survivors exercise their affected hand. It combines a wearable hand exoskeleton that helps move the fingers, a virtual reality game with sound effects, and a scent delivery device, so that four senses are engaged at once. The aim was to make repetitive exercises more engaging, since staying motivated is hard for many survivors.
Five stroke survivors tried the system over three sessions, with more components added each time. Four of the five rated their overall user experience higher in the third session than the first, and one reported no change. However, scores on a motivation questionnaire were mixed: two people scored lower over time, two scored higher, and one stayed the same. Some individual questions got positive responses, but the study could not show that the system raised motivation overall.
This research suggests that a multisensory VR, exoskeleton, and scent system is feasible and generally well received in a small group. Because only five people took part and there was no comparison group, the results are preliminary. Larger studies would be needed to know whether such a system actually improves motivation or recovery.
Sinha A, Kow F, Ming Z, Songyu B, Kang J, Jeffrey H, et al.. (2026). MIDAS: Multi-Sensorial Immersive Dynamic Autonomous System for Stroke Hand Rehabilitation-Prototype Design and Exploratory User Evaluation.. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland). https://doi.org/10.3390/s26206384