Hold the line: Restoring artistic expression in VR for people with Parkinson’s

Due to tremor and reduced motor control, people with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD) often lose the ability to smoothly perform digital inputs requiring fine motor skills. Virtual Reality (VR) drawing offers multisensory and multidirectional stimulation, which may support physical and emotional well-being in PwPD. While drawing has long been recognised as a meaningful activity for expression and motor engagement, its implementation in VR contexts remains underexplored for this population. This work explores VR drawing for artistic expression in PwPD. We conducted a formative study with 8 PD participants to understand their needs, implemented tremor-suppression techniques validated through a technical evaluation with 24 non-PD participants, and conducted a follow-up study with 8 PD participants to test the refined system. We found that our tremor-filtered system enhances users’ confidence, enjoyment, and emotional engagement. We provide design implications for accessible VR art-making and discuss the potential of immersive tools to support creativity and artistic expression for PwPD.

Recommended citation: Zou, Qianyuan, Chang, Zhuang, Zezheng Guan, Zirui Xiao, Huidong Bai, Mark Billinghurst, Xueliang Li, and Seungwoo Je. Hold the line: Restoring artistic expression in VR for people with Parkinson’s. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 215 (2026): 103862. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhcs.2026.103862
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