Using a virtual reality system to study balance and walking in a virtual outdoor environment: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomechanics
• Virtual Reality

Background:

• Falls are a significant risk for elderly individuals, particularly during walking and turning.
• Reduced attention to walking increases fall risk, but standardized clinical balance testing is challenging.
• Existing methods for assessing balance and fall tendency lack clinical relevance and standardization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a virtual environment (VE) system for assessing balance and movement control.
• To investigate how attention-demanding and unexpected events in a VE influence balance.
• To explore the potential clinical applications of this novel assessment system.

Main Methods:

• A system was developed using a head-mounted display (HMD), magnetic tracking, and SGI computers for VE generation and motion data management.
• Eight subjects (age 23-80) walked in a virtual outdoor environment presented via HMD.
• Subjects were exposed to unexpected events like virtual snowfall and environmental tilting, with balance and gait analyzed.

Main Results:

• Subjects generally walked slower in the VE compared to normal walking.
• Virtual tilting of the environment significantly impacted balance performance during walking.
• Virtual snowfall did not show a similar impact on balance, and two subjects reported cyber sickness symptoms.

Conclusions:

• The developed VE system shows potential for assessing balance and fall risk in a clinically relevant manner.
• Virtual environmental manipulations can reveal subtle changes in balance control.
• Further development is needed, but the system offers a promising tool for clinical evaluation of balance in older adults.