Abstract

Background: The integration of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies into cardiopulmonary physiotherapy represents one of the most consequential shifts in modern rehabilitation medicine. While individual modalities have attracted growing research attention, their deliberate convergence as a unified rehabilitation framework remains insufficiently synthesised. Objective: To examine the clinical evidence, implementation challenges, and future directions of converging VR, AR, AI, and IoT technologies in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. Methods: A structured narrative review of 217 peer-reviewed articles (2001–2025) was conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, IEEE Xplore, and the Cochrane Library, synthesised thematically. Results: Immersive VR consistently improves exercise adherence and psychological outcomes; IoT-based remote monitoring extends physiological supervision beyond clinical walls; AI systems advance protocol individualisation; AR augments procedural guidance and self-efficacy. Critical gaps persist in long-term outcome data, standardised protocols, equitable access, and data governance. Conclusions: Converging digital technologies hold substantive potential to reshape cardiopulmonary physiotherapy. Realising this demands interdisciplinary collaboration, representative clinical trials, and patient-centred, equity-informed implementation.

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