Two Virtual Reality Projects with IPTC Researchers Shine at the X Madrid Health Hackathon

The X Hackaton Salud de la Comunidad de Madrid, held on December 11 at Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, brought together clinicians, technologists, and researchers to develop innovative digital health solutions for public healthcare. Among the challenges addressed, the Physiotherapy Digital Biomarkers track focused on identifying objective, technology-driven measures to support clinical assessment, treatment personalization, and patient monitoring.

Two virtual reality–based projects with the participation of researchers from the Information Processing and Telecommunications Center (IPTC) were selected as finalists in different maturity categories.

EyeMovVR, finalist in the Seed category, proposes the objective measurement of smooth pursuit eye movements using virtual reality and eye-tracking technologies, aiming to reduce subjectivity in clinical assessment and enhance diagnostic precision.

SpaceDefenderVR, finalist in the Growth category, presents a low-cost virtual reality solution for remote assessment of cervical function, enabling scalable and accessible evaluation beyond traditional in-person settings.

Both projects align with the growing interest in digital biomarkers in physiotherapy, understood as objective signals captured through sensors, computer vision, wearables, and immersive technologies. These approaches complement conventional clinical measures and support data-driven decision-making in rehabilitation, pain management, and recovery monitoring.

The recognition of these projects as finalists highlights the potential of virtual reality to generate clinically meaningful digital biomarkers and underscores the value of collaboration between healthcare professionals, technologists, and IPTC researchers. Such initiatives contribute to advancing evidence-based, scalable, and patient-centered physiotherapy solutions within public health systems.

Rodrigo García Carmona: GS / ORCID / LinkedIn

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iptc-upm/

For more information: www.iptc.upm.es

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