With the conclusion of the CORTEX2 Innovators Support Programme, XRehab has emerged as a promising, validated VR-based platform for digital neurorehabilitation. Designed to support patients with neuromuscular and neurodegenerative conditions, the solution blends immersive virtual environments with multilingual AI voice guidance to create emotionally engaging and functional rehabilitation experiences, accessible both in clinical settings and at home. Over the past months, the XRehab team has refined its technology, validated its usability and therapeutic potential, and taken significant steps toward sustainable implementation. The platform is now ready to support patients beyond the pilot phase.
We spoke with the team to hear how they got here, and what’s next. Keep reading to learn more about XRehab — Extended Reality for Neurological Rehabilitation.
XRehab’s progress on the CORTEX2 Programme
Q: How would you summarise the advances XRehab has made during Phase 2 of the CORTEX2 Support Programme?
A: During Phases 2 and 3 of the XRehab project, significant progress was achieved in the development, refinement, and preliminary validation of the VR-based rehabilitation platform. The project successfully finalised the core technical components, including the design and implementation of two primary categories of immersive scenarios: emotionally engaging outdoor environments and activity-based simulations for daily living tasks.
Key achievements include the creation of emotionally engaging exploration scenarios and a functional daily activity module, both supported by multilingual AI-generated voice guidance, available in both English and Italian, to enhance user engagement and accessibility.
A structured user experience validation was successfully conducted, confirming the system’s usability, emotional impact, and therapeutic potential. Additionally, the foundation for future exploitation was laid through the development of a strategic sustainability and commercialisation plan, identifying key integration opportunities with healthcare systems and establishing a strategic roadmap for scaling the solution in clinical and home care environments.
These advances collectively brought the project closer to its goal of delivering an effective, accessible, and sustainable digital rehabilitation tool for neuromuscular and neurodegenerative patients.
Q: What has XRehab achieved now that the Programme is complete?
A: With the completion of the CORTEX2 Support Programme, the XRehab project has successfully reached key technical, clinical, and strategic milestones, positioning itself as a mature and validated solution for digital neurorehabilitation.
The project has delivered a fully functional VR-based rehabilitation platform, integrating immersive, AI-enhanced virtual environments specifically designed for patients with neuromuscular and neurodegenerative conditions. The platform now includes two validated sets of VR scenarios — emotion-focused nature explorations and activity-oriented home simulations — each enriched with real-time, multilingual AI voice guidance to support patient engagement and emotional well-being.
Throughout the programme, the XRehab system was technically and pre-clinically tested and underwent structured user experience evaluations, demonstrating high levels of usability, user satisfaction, and engagement, while also confirming the absence of adverse effects such as cyber sickness. These evaluations validated both the emotional and functional benefits of the platform, with clear indications of its potential for improving rehabilitation outcomes.
Q: What would you highlight about the Support Programme, what’s helped advance your solution the most?
A: The CORTEX2 Support Programme provided an essential framework for accelerating the technical and clinical advancement of the XRehab platform. One of the most valuable aspects of the programme was the collaborative environment it fostered, allowing for direct engagement with technical experts and other digital VR innovators. This collaborative setting enabled the XRehab team to refine its approach and align technical developments with clinical priorities effectively.
A key benefit was the opportunity to integrate selected CORTEX2 services — such as videoconferencing — which are highly relevant for the platform’s future exploitation in remote rehabilitation and telemedicine contexts.
Q: What’s the status of XRehab after completing the Programme? What are your next steps?
A: After completing the CORTEX2 Support Programme, the XRehab platform has reached a mature and validated status, both from a technical and clinical perspective. The platform has been optimised for Meta Quest headsets, ensuring portability and ease of use in clinical and home settings.
The solution has been successfully validated through structured user experience testing in a clinical environment, with positive feedback regarding usability, engagement, emotional impact, and overall system performance. Importantly, no adverse effects were reported, and key performance indicators for usability and effectiveness have been fully achieved.
With this strong foundation, the following steps for XRehab focus on:
- Deployment in clinical settings not only for neurodegenerative diseases.
- Improving scenario realism, expanding the range of activities of daily living (ADLs), and integrating GenAI for additional features and scenarios.
- Additionally, the team will focus on securing further funding, pursuing regulatory pathways, and engaging with stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition from project completion to market adoption.
The platform is now well-positioned for sustainable growth and long-term impact in the digital rehabilitation field.
Check out XRehab’s previous interview and stay updated on its progress!
Want to know more about other CORTEX2 innovators’ updates? Browse all our supported teams on the CORTEX2 website: