VR headsets take war-scarred children to world away from Gaza

Al-Zawayda (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Children scarred by the war in Gaza are undergoing a therapy programme using virtual reality headsets that transport the youngsters to a world far away from the destruction around them.


Issued on: 02/12/2025 - RFI

Palestinian children using goggles and a joystick experience virtual reality as part of a therapy programme © Eyad Baba / AFP

The VR therapy is aimed at improving the children's psychological wellbeing, with operators saying it can achieve results more quickly than traditional therapy sessions.

Inside a white tent pitched on a sandy patch of ground in Al-Zawayda, in central Gaza, excited chatter swelled as five boys roamed around a virtual world.

The youngsters, one in a wheelchair and the others on plastic seats, turned their heads, exploring the new surroundings inside their goggles: a land of green gardens, tranquil beaches and safe cities.

The VR sessions utilise programmes specifically designed for traumatised children © Eyad Baba / AFP

One boy reached out and clapped his hands together, as if swatting a fly. Another, smiling, with his hand held up in front of his face, reached out to touch the scenery.

One said a dog was running towards him, and beckoned to it, calling out: "Come! Come!"

"I see birds," the boy in the wheelchair told an operator, looking around.

One of the operators delicately put the blue TechMed Gaza headset on 15-year-old Salah Abu Rukab, who sustained a head injury during the war, asking if he could see the VR properly as he adjusted the buckles.

A medical technology support team member gets ready to fit the VR headset 

© Eyad Baba / AFP


"We feel comfortable in it, we enjoy it, and through it we enter a garden, we enter spaces with animals and similar experiences," the teenager told AFP.

Asked by the operator what he saw, he replied: "It's all trees. Nothing but trees, grass and flowers."

'Positive results'

Mental health supervisor Abdalla Abu Shamale explained there was more to the VR headsets than simply escape.

"Through programmers, we are able to design games with therapeutic, preventive and developmental goals that help prepare the child or enable them to cope and manage their life more effectively," he told AFP.

The virtual reality programme helps children rebuild positive perceptions of the world © Eyad Baba / AFP


"This method has proven its effectiveness over a full year of working with many children, including war-amputee children, injured children and those exposed to extremely traumatic events."

A fragile ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas has held since October 10.

The World Health Organization says conflict-related injuries carry a mental health toll, and survivors struggle with trauma, loss and daily survival, while psychosocial services remain scarce in Gaza.

Jonathan Crickx, spokesman for the UN children's agency UNICEF, told AFP that around one million children, or in other words, "all children in the Gaza Strip, are in need of mental health and psychosocial support after two years of horrendous war".

Inside the VR goggles lies a world of safe cities, mountains and greenery 

© Eyad Baba / AFP


The VR sessions rely on programmes specifically designed for traumatised children, taking into account their physical and psychological condition, and help them rebuild positive perceptions of the world.

Abu Shamale said the children were "treated and accompanied through VR sessions, and when we integrated them into these techniques, they showed a very, very strong response and extremely positive results.

"The speed of treatment, recovery and reaching stability using VR techniques was faster than in regular sessions. In regular sessions without VR, we usually need about 10 to 12 sessions, while with VR we can achieve results in just five to seven sessions," he said.

© 2025 AFP

 

New method for intentional control of bionic prostheses

Researchers decode nerve signals for targeted movement control for the first time

Medical University of Vienna

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Despite enormous progress in the past two decades, the intentional control of bionic prostheses remains a challenge and the subject of intensive research. Now, scientists at the Medical University of Vienna and Imperial College London have developed a new method for precisely detecting the nerve signals remaining after an arm amputation and utilising them to control an artificial arm. The study results, published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, could form the basis for the development of the next generation of prostheses.

As part of the Natural BionicS project funded by the European Research Council, novel (40-channel) microelectrodes were implanted in the muscles of three arm amputee study participants, which had previously been reconnected to nerves through a process known as targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR). This surgical procedure redirects nerve pathways remaining after amputation to muscles that are still present, thus creating new interfaces through which neural signals can be retrieved.
 
By combining surgical reinnervation with implantable microelectrodes, scientists at MedUni Vienna and Imperial College London succeeded for the first time in directly measuring the activity of individual motor neurons – the nerve cells in the spinal cord that transmit movement commands to the muscles – and linking their signal patterns to specific movement intentions. To achieve this result, the participants mentally performed various movements with their phantom arm. "Using our method, we were able to precisely identify the nerve signals that underlie, for example, the stretching of a finger or the bending of the wrist," reports study author Oskar Aszmann, head of the Clinical Laboratory for Bionic Limb Reconstruction at the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at MedUni Vienna.

Foundation for the development of wireless implants
Analysis of the recorded, highly differentiated nerve signals also showed that complex movement intentions remain intact in the nervous system even after amputation and can be mathematically reconstructed. This means that this information can be used in future for the precise control of bionic prostheses. "This is a crucial step towards making the control of bionic limbs more natural and intuitive," says Oskar Aszmann, emphasising the relevance of the study results.

In the long term, these findings will lead to the development of a so-called bioscreen – a system that visualises the complex neural patterns of human movements and thus forms the basis for new generations of prostheses. Current research is thus laying the foundation for the development of wireless implants that can transmit nerve signals directly and in real time to bionic hands or other assistance systems.

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Journal

Nature Biomedical Engineering

DOI

10.1038/s41551-025-01537-y 

Article Title

Implanted microelectrode arrays in reinnervated muscles allow separation of neural drives from transferred polyfunctional nerves

Article Publication Date

24-Oct-2025

 

Beyond the finish line at Cybathlon 2024: Omnia’s pilot performance and the role of teamwork

On Science Robotics, a focus article on the OMNIA technology developed by the Italian Institute of Technology, with a highlight on the experience of Andrea Modica, a transfemoral amputee and the pilot of the device

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - IIT

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image: 

During the competition in 2024, Modica navigated a balance beam while carrying buckets.

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Credit: IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia/Cybathlon

Genoa (Italy), 30 October 2025: One year after the international Cybathlon 2024 competition, the Italian team has published a focus article in Science Robotics on the Omnia bionic leg, which took first place in the leg prosthesis race. The article highlights the experience of Andrea Modica, a transfemoral amputee and the device’s pilot, who successfully completed 9 out of 10 tasks in 2 minutes and 57 seconds. The Omnia prosthesis was developed at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT – Italian Institute of Technology) by the joint Rehab Technologies IIT-INAIL Lab, coordinated by Matteo Laffranchi.

The Cybathlon 2024 marked the debut of Omnia, a novel lower limb prosthetic prototype designed for individuals with transfemoral amputations. This system comprises a knee (Unico) and an ankle (Armonico), both motorized. Omnia was the only device to reach the "Leg Prosthesis" final without using commercial components. Its pilot, Andrea Modica, successfully completed 9 out of 10 tasks, including navigating a balance beam while carrying buckets, ascending and descending stairs with objects, and traversing an inclined plane.

Andrea Modica is a transfemoral amputee who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2021. Since then, Modica has shown remarkable determination, first returning to sports, then progressing to Paralympic-level skiing, and stepping into the world of competitive prosthetic technology. He is currently Support Technician at Rehab Technologies - INAIL-IIT lab.

Modica was not only the pilot for the Omnia system but also an active contributor to its design and optimization. His insights, gained by comparing Omnia with his daily-use prosthesis, helped the research team to shape key improvements in both the software and hardware of the device. From adjusting stiffness to fine-tuning propulsion, each component was tailored to match the varied demands of the Cybathlon’s obstacle-based tasks. During months of training, Modica repeatedly practiced each task to improve precision, efficiency, and safety.

Reflecting on the event, Andrea Modica described it as a deeply meaningful experience, not just for the achievement, but for the community he found among other competitors. His role in shaping Omnia exemplifies IIT’s user-centered philosophy, where real-world feedback drives innovation.

The standout feature of the Omnia system is the communication between the two prosthetic components, Unico and Armonico, which exchange information from integrated sensors and adjust parameters for optimal performance across various tasks. The Unico knee combines hydraulic and electric technologies. The hydraulic system effectively aids in level walking or descending, ensuring quiet, smooth movement and energy efficiency. In contrast, the electric technology, supported by a patented system, provides active assistance during tasks such as climbing stairs, ascending steep slopes, or standing from a seated position. In the complete Omnia leg configuration, the transition between hydraulic and electric modes occurs automatically, thanks to the synergy of the two prostheses and advanced implemented algorithms.

The Unico prosthesis is equipped with a battery that lasts a full day under maximum usage and is suitable for both right and left knee prosthetics, supporting up to 125 kilograms. The device is customizable based on the user's height and can be adjusted at the software level to match daily activity patterns, whether sedentary or active.

The Armonico ankle features an elastic foot coupled with an innovative screw mechanism, assisting the user during the initial foot strike by reducing heel impact for enhanced comfort and preventing tripping by lifting the toe during each step. Unlike passive foot prostheses, Armonico actively amplifies the ankle’s flexion angle, providing enhanced stability on sloped surfaces and ensuring a more natural movement. It is available in both right and left configurations and has a battery life of 24 hours.

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Journal

Science Robotics

DOI

10.1126/scirobotics.aeb6485 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

The Omnia bionic leg with semipowered knee and ankle wins the Cybathlon 2024 leg prosthesis race

Article Publication Date

29-Oct-2025

The focus article in Science Robotics highlights the experience of Andrea Modica, a transfemoral amputee and the device’s pilot, who successfully completed 9 out of 10 tasks in 2 minutes and 57 seconds at Cybathlon 2024. He is currently Support Technician at Rehab Technologies - INAIL-IIT lab.



Omnia's team secured first place in the leg prosthesis race at Cybathlon 2024 (IMAGE)



The Italian team has published a focus article in Science Robotics on the Omnia bionic leg, which took first place in the leg prosthesis race at Cybathlon 2024. The Omnia prosthesis was developed at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia by the joint Rehab Technologies IIT-INAIL Lab coordinated by Matteo Laffranchi.



The Cybathlon 2024 marked the debut of Omnia, a novel lower limb prosthetic prototype designed for individuals with transfemoral amputations. This system comprises a knee (Unico) and an ankle (Armonico), both motorized. Omnia was the only device to reach the "Leg Prosthesis" final without using commercial components.


Credit
IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia/Cybathlon

 

Robotic knee prosthesis: Advanced control algorithm could expand commercial leg's benefits

Paired with custom control software, Össur's powered knee prosthesis helped study participants sit, stand and walk more easily

University of Michigan

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Photos of labor

A commercial robotic leg could potentially benefit both higher- and lower-mobility amputees, University of Michigan roboticists have shown for the first time. 

 

The leg provided the largest gains when the U-M team applied its own control strategy, enabling a more symmetrical gait, lower tripping risks and a reduction in strain on the study participants' sound legs and hips.

 

The Michigan team worked with Össur's Power Knee, provided by the company, with primary funding from the National Institutes of Health.  

 

Multiple robotic prosthetic legs are on the market but aren't yet in wide clinical use. For many activities, the lightness and simplicity of passive legs is preferred by prosthesis users. However, for particularly taxing activities like rising from a chair, climbing stairs and hills, and walking long distances, the addition of power has the potential to help prosthesis users be more active while also preventing overuse injuries. 

 

"The passive leg has a huge advantage in this study because the participants use it every day and are very used to its behaviors. Our study participants had just two training sessions with the powered leg. Even with that disadvantage, we observed benefits of the powered leg with both our controller and Össur's," said Robert Gregg, a professor of robotics and corresponding author of the study in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.

 

"Our study is significant because evidence was previously lacking for benefits of robotic knees over advanced passive knees, which is a big reason insurance companies don't typically cover robotic knees. Our results begin to provide this evidence."

 

In this initial study, the researchers focused on key activities of daily living in which a powered prosthesis could provide meaningful benefits compared to passive knee prostheses. Study participants repeatedly sat and stood; walked quickly on a treadmill; and repeatedly sat in a chair, walked and sat down again. 

 

Prosthesis users who required extra walking assistance, such as a cane, found that the Power Knee offered significant help in all these tasks. Those who get around more easily on their own prostheses saw the most improvement in their gaits when Gregg's team implemented their own control algorithm on Össur's leg. One recent amputee described it as the closest they’d felt to two-legged walking on a prosthesis.

 

"Our goal in prosthesis control is to make the leg behave as close as possible to the missing human limb in order to prevent compensations that often lead to overuse injuries. It also matters because gait deviations can bring unwanted attention to some users," said Kevin Best, a research associate in robotics, recent U-M robotics PhD graduate and first author of the study.

 

The team investigated two fundamentally different control approaches. Össur's more conventional controller relies on recognizing specific features of the user's motion, indicating what they're about to do. This makes the system very safe and predictable but may not always keep up with the user's intent, Gregg said. In order to sit, users have to wait for the knee to recognize the sitting motion before it will bend, and likewise with standing.

 

In contrast, the control approach developed by Gregg's team continually adjusts to the user's motion. They built mathematical models of how humans move, based on large datasets of unimpaired individuals. At each moment in time, their control algorithm measures the user's thigh motion to determine the right behavior, creating more natural knee motions that are better synchronized with the user. 

 

"With the improvements in robotic devices, it is clear that robotic prostheses offer great promise to the amputee population," said Jeff Wensman, a certified prosthetist/orthotist at Michigan Medicine and study co-author. "I am excited to see the advancement of a strategy to provide powered prosthesis users with user-synchronized control. I believe that this is a missing link to making powered prosthetics a reality for amputees."

 

This new control algorithm is harder to learn after using a conventional prosthesis for years, but the repeated sit-to-stand trials showed that participants were learning. Rather than getting more tired with each trial, they got faster. Then while walking, the more mobile group showed two improvements that could become significant benefits.

 

First, they lifted the toe of the prosthetic foot higher, reducing the risk of tripping over small obstacles or rougher terrain. Second, they didn't need to swing their hips as hard to move the prosthetic leg forward, hinting that the powered knee and lifelike control algorithm could potentially reduce back pain and allow users to go farther before getting tired, though the team couldn't measure this with the short study. 

 

Next, the team hopes to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of their control algorithm with stairs and ramps, followed by take-home tests. With more time to practice, the participants may be able to achieve even more. If the control strategy is successful, Össur could incorporate aspects of it into its own algorithm.

 

For now, the improvements with Össur's own algorithm were enough for two of the study participants to switch to the Power Knee for their everyday prosthesis, demonstrating that robotic prostheses are moving from laboratory exploration to real-world benefit.

 

Primary funding by the National Institutes of Health was under award No. R01HD094772, with additional support from the National Science Foundation. Össur provided initial financial support and may have a financial interest in the results.

 

The team has applied for patent protection for their controller with the assistance of U-M Innovation Partnerships.

 

Study: The clinical effects of the Össur Power Knee with phase-based and default control during sitting, standing, and walking (DOI: 10.1186/s12984-025-01729-2)

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Journal

Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation

TWO

10.1186/s12984-025-01729-2