眾所周知，虛擬現實技術在醫學領域有著廣泛的應用，我們經常能夠看到VR設備幫助醫生進行病情的診斷或是治療。
據研究，大約有60-80%的截肢者在截肢後的某個時候會出現“幻肢綜合症”。為了治療這種情況，EPFL（洛桑聯邦理工學院）主導了一項科學合作，運用虛擬現實技術來讓截肢者接受他們的新假肢。
根據研究，大約有60-80%的截肢者在截肢後的某個時候會出現“幻肢綜合症”。這是一種不舒服的、有時甚至是痛苦的情況，受影響的人感覺他們仍然可以控制自己的“鬼魂”肢體，甚至可能體驗到諸如瘙癢、抽搐和想做手勢的慾望等感覺。
According to research， approximately 60-80% of amputees experience a case of “phantom limb syndrome” at some point following their amputation。 An uncomfortable， sometimes painful case， those affected feel as though they still have control of their “ghost” limb and may even experience sensations such as itching， twitches， and the desire to gesture。
最近假肢技術的進步已經被證明對截肢者恢復功能很有用，儘管結果喜憂參半。那些受幻肢影響的人常常認為他們失去的肢體比原來的要小得多，這導致了對新的、適當大小的假肢的精神排斥。再加上這些假肢體提供的觸覺反饋幾乎為零，你就可以開始理解為什麼這些問題患者並不總是能夠無縫過渡。
Recent advancements in prosthetic technology have proved useful in returning functionality to amputees， albeit with mixed results。 Those affected by phantom limb often imagine their missing limb as much smaller than it originally was， resulting in a mental rejection of the new， appropriately-sized prosthetic limb。 Add in the fact that a majority of these fake limbs provide zero tactile feedback， and you can begin to understand why it may not always be a seamless transition for these troubled patients。
為了對抗這些假肢的排斥，一項由EPFL（洛桑聯邦理工學院）領導的科學合作已經開始使用VR技術來幫助截肢者接受他們未來的新假肢。
To help combat the rejection of these prosthetic limbs， a scientific collaboration led by EPFL （Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne） has begun using VR technology to assist amputees in accepting their futuristic new limbs。
該項目基於著名的“眼見為實”（see is belief）成語，在刺激受影響區域的同時，向患者展示與現實生活中發生的動作同步的相應VR片段。在兩名手部截肢者的案例中，研究人員觸摸了截肢者殘肢的關鍵部位，而VR視頻顯示，虛擬手被實時刺激。
Based off the famous “seeing is believing” idiom， the project involves stimulating an affected area while corresponding VR footage， synced to the actions happening in real-life， is displayed to the patient。 In the case of two hand amputees， researchers touched key areas of the amputees stumps while VR footage showed a virtual hand being stimulated in real-time。
結果是一個更長的，更準確的幻肢感覺。這反過來又使病人容易接受他們的假肢。一些報道指出，截肢者甚至能感覺到他們的“鬼肢”長出了新的肢體。
The result was a longer， more accurate phantom limb sensation。 This in turn lead to the patients easily accepting their prosthetic limbs。 Some reports indicate that the amputees could even feel their ghost limb growing into their new one。
“大腦有規律地利用它的感官來評估什麼是屬於身體的，什麼是外在的。”我們展示瞭如何可以結合視覺和觸覺來誘騙截肢者的大腦感覺它看到什麼，誘導假肢手的使用，並使幻肢長成假肢手”，由奧拉夫·布蘭科（Olaf Blanke）領導的EPFL認知神經修復實驗室的朱利奧·羅格尼尼（Giulio Rognini）表示，他與EPFL的Silvestro Micera和Scuola Superiore Sant ‘Anna合作，“這種裝置是可移植的，有一天可能會變成一種療法，幫助病人永久地植入他們的假肢。”
“The brain regularly uses its senses to evaluate what belongs to the body and what is external to the body。 We showed exactly how vision and touch can be combined to trick the amputee’s brain into feeling what it sees， inducing embodiment of the prosthetic hand with an additional effect that the phantom limb grows into the prosthetic one，” states Giulio Rognini of EPFL’s Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroprosthetics led by Olaf Blanke， in a collaboration with Silvestro Micera of EPFL and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna。 “The setup is portable and could one day be turned into a therapy to help patients embody their prosthetic limb permanently。”
最初由洛桑聯邦理工學院（Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne）報道，你可以通過《神經病學、神經外科與精神病學雜誌》（Journal of Neurology， Neurosurgery & Psychiatry）瞭解到更多關於合作結果的信息。
Originally reported by Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne， you can learn more about the collaborations results via the Journal of Neurology， Neurosurgery & Psychiatry。
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