Perceptual distortion in virtual reality and its impact on dynamic postural control

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Human Movement Science
• Virtual Reality Technology

Background:

• Voluntary movements, like lifting a foot, perturb postural equilibrium.
• Humans use anticipatory and compensatory postural adjustments to maintain balance.
• The impact of virtual reality (VR) on these postural adjustments is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how VR influences postural adjustments during a dynamic leg-lifting task.
• To compare postural control in real versus VR environments.
• To assess the role of perceptual distortion in VR on balance maintenance.

Main Methods:

• Compared single-leg obstacle avoidance in real and VR settings.
• Analyzed muscle activity during leg lifting with varying foot elevation speeds.
• Assessed participants' perception of spatial scale in the VR environment.

Main Results:

• VR reduced lower leg muscle activity in all postural adjustment phases (preparatory, anticipatory, compensatory).
• Simple foot elevation increased muscle activity, primarily in the compensatory phase.
• VR appears to induce perceptual distortions in spatial scale estimation.

Conclusions:

• VR modulates postural adjustments, affecting balance control during perturbed standing.
• Perceptual distortion in VR is a potential factor influencing postural responses.
• Findings are crucial for developing effective VR-based training systems for balance.