Jose Maldonado, an FIU alumnus with a B.S. in Computer Science (2017), is one of those guys you hear about, the kind of brilliant innovator who decides a new virtual reality headset is too expensive to buy so he makes his own and then has a blast creating his own simulations. Maldonado is the type who’s always dreaming of ideas, including new ways of doing old things.
Maldonado became involved in an FIU research project on physical therapy involving the use of a robotic arm. Maldonado soaked up everything he could learn about the needs of physical therapy patients and an idea soon emerged. What if the virtual reality experience could be merged with physical therapy, to add fun as patients perform their sometimes-challenging exercises?