Digital measures from robots and virtual reality remain works in progress
A review mapped how emerging technologies measure cognition and movement in older adults, while identifying practical gaps in readiness and reliability.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review found digital measurements being used to record behaviour during cognitive tasks, performance during virtual rehabilitation, walking characteristics and upper-body movement. These uses show what the technologies can measure in research settings. They do not, by themselves, demonstrate more accurate diagnosis, better rehabilitation outcomes or readiness for routine care.
According to the abstract, robotic systems have low readiness, thermal models need strict conditions, and virtual reality approaches have gaps in timing data or stimulation. Accuracy and patient benefit cannot be judged from the abstract alone.
What counted as a digital biomarker
In this review, a digital biomarker was an indicator of bodily or behavioural processes recorded by a device. Examples included performance in virtual tasks, robotic measurements of walking and movement measurements during physical rehabilitation.
Different technologies, different gaps
The authors distinguished flexibility from practical readiness: robots could serve varied applications, yet needed further development. They also identified limited timing information in virtual cognitive assessment and limited combinations of stimulation in virtual cognitive rehabilitation.
The original publication
Leveraging human-robot interaction and virtual reality for digital biomarkers in diagnostics and rehabilitation: a review from the Age-It Research Program.
Sorrentino A, Carpi F, De Gaspari S et al.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41442756
- Record checked
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