To me, “Rehab Reimagined” refers to the ongoing transformation of the rehabilitation field and our responsibility to evolve with it. Technological advances such as exoskeletons, non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, and AI-enabled personalized medicine are rapidly changing the field as we speak. With major demographic shifts looming on the horizon all across the Western world, I see telerehabilitation and Extended Reality technologies as the most significant innovations for the future of care. XR is particularly suited for rehabilitation because it enables patients to engage physically with virtual environments, thereby bridging the gap between motor therapy and digital feedback, which offers many practical benefits like gamification, adaptive scenarios, and intelligent data analysis. The field is set to change dramatically in the coming years, and I believe that staying engaged with the latest XR developments is essential to keeping pace with that change.

Personally, I have been involved with the project since its early days, back when it was still called “VR4Rehab.” A lot has changed since then, not least the expansion beyond Virtual Reality to include other XR technologies like Augmented and Mixed Reality. These newer modalities are particularly exciting for rehabilitation, not only because of their embodied nature, which lends itself to therapeutic applications, but also because the technology itself is still so fresh. Devices like the Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro have only been released in the last few years, leaving many promising research directions still open for scientific exploration.

Having been part of the initiative from the beginning, I have also had the chance to see firsthand how small and mid-sized companies have developed creative, XR-based rehabilitation solutions. We are no longer at the stage of simply theorizing about the potential of XR in rehab. Robust clinical studies have been conducted, and several successful companies have emerged. The challenge now is bundling these innovations and finding to way to enable implementation on a larger scale. I hope that this conference will bring people together who are interested in moving the ball forward in this regard.

The XR4Rehab community has traditionally been very heterogeneous, bringing together clinicians, developers, researchers, and increasingly, patients, to co-design solutions that are both clinically relevant and technologically feasible.

I think that this year’s program reflects that interdisciplinary idea very well. Some sessions appeal to each of these interest groups individually, but there are also sessions like “Rehab and XR – Where

are we scientifically and clinically” or “XR Design – Personalized Rehabilitation: How can integrating AI and XR Redefine Patient Experiences and Engagement?” that clearly invite collaboration between different stakeholders. Panels and workshops are also structured to promote dialogue rather than discipline-specific silo.

Personally, as a researcher, I’m particularly interested in the psychiatric applications of XR, an area that is still emerging but rich with potential. At last year’s conference, Professor Giuseppe Riva delivered an inspiring keynote on this topic, which sparked several new research ideas for me. I believe developers and clinicians alike would benefit from hearing these kinds of forward-looking perspectives, just as researchers would benefit from hearing about the clinical challenges or technical limitations in real-world implementation.

However, it is not only the content but also the structure of the event that encourages interdisciplinary collaboration with plenty of networking opportunities, interactive demos, and collaborative workshops. That kind of exchange is difficult to force, but I think XR4Rehab has consistently done this well in the past.

There are many exciting names on the lineup this year, but if I had to choose one, it would be Skip Rizzo. He is one of the pioneers and an absolute superstar in the field of XR-based rehabilitation. This year, he will host a session about the clinical application of VR in the treatment of anxiety disorders and PTSD. I have had the chance to hear him speak at previous conferences, and his talks always stand out for their bold, forward-thinking ideas while also being grounded in clinical relevance. With his years of experience, he brings a true bird’s-eye perspective to the field, which allows him to look at where the field is headed, not just in the next year or two, but over the next decade. I am genuinely interested to hear what trends he sees emerging this time around.

There are several great examples of projects that began within the XR4Rehab community and have since made a tangible impact in clinical practice. One of my personal favorites is Corpus VR, which started as a research initiative and has since evolved into a successful company providing XR-based rehabilitation solutions to patients around the world. Another great example is Strolll, which exhibited at last year’s XR4Rehab conference. Since then, they have begun collaborating with several research institutions they connected with at the event. A clear case of the conference serving as a launchpad for partnerships.

But beyond individual success stories, I think XR4Rehab’s most important, though harder to quantify, contribution has been the cultural shift in how telerehabilitation and digital tools are perceived. There is a growing recognition across the healthcare sector that digitalization is not optional but essential. Clinics throughout Europe and beyond are beginning to adapt, and even the European Union is working on broader strategies to support more effective use of technology in care delivery. My hope is that these new policies will accelerate, not slow down, the integration of XR into rehabilitation practice.

XR4Rehab has always aimed to be an open platform, not only in terms of disciplines but also in terms of geography, career stage, and accessibility. Over the years, we have welcomed participants from all over the world who share a common interest in advancing XR-assisted rehabilitation, whether they are clinicians, developers, researchers, or students.

In previous editions, we have partnered with the International Society for Virtual Rehabilitation (ISVR) to co-host the conference. This collaboration has helped us expand our reach, particularly to attendees from North America. We hope to continue building on this kind of international cooperation in the future.

By hosting this year’s conference in Lecco, Italy, we are hoping to engage more participants from Southern Europe, a region that has been somewhat underrepresented in the XR4Rehab community so far. Our collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Milan is also an important step toward increasing accessibility for students and early-career researchers. The university setting makes the event more approachable, both in terms of cost and academic environment, and we hope it encourages the next generation of professionals to take an active role in the community.

This year’s conference places a strong emphasis on hands-on demos and workshops, which offer attendees the chance to engage directly with cutting-edge XR rehabilitation technologies. Especially, the exhibition floor will offer many opportunities where participants can try out the latest interventions firsthand. In past conferences, attendees have consistently highlighted these interactive experiences as one of the most valuable aspects of XR4Rehab. Being able to physically interact with devices, applications, and platforms is particularly important when it comes to immersive technologies because they have to be experienced to be fully understood and can only be partially communicated through video.

These immersive encounters foster discussions, spark new ideas, and often lead to collaborations because participants can see, touch, and test the technologies themselves. I expect this year’s exhibition floor will be a key space for innovation exchange and inspiration.