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The effect of posture on virtual walking experience using foot vibrations.
Junya Nakamura1, Michiteru Kitazaki2
1Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan. nakamura.junya.ap@tut.jp.
Scientific Reports
|August 21, 2024
Summary
Synchronized foot vibrations enhance virtual walking experiences for stationary users. Standing posture provides the most immersive virtual walking, outperforming sitting or lying positions, especially with synchronized vibrations.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Virtual Reality
- Haptics
Background:
- Virtual walking systems use multimodal stimulation to aid stationary users.
- Previous research focused on standing or seated postures.
- Extending virtual walking experiences to bedridden users is a key goal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of participant posture (sitting, standing, lying) on virtual walking.
- To evaluate the effect of synchronized versus asynchronous foot vibrations on virtual walking immersion.
- To assess subjective experiences including posture matching, body ownership, and sense of agency.
Main Methods:
- Participants experienced virtual walking in first-person perspective across sitting, standing, and lying postures.
- Foot vibrations were applied, either synchronized or asynchronously to the virtual avatar's steps.
- Subjective user experience was measured using questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Synchronized foot vibrations significantly improved virtual walking experiences compared to asynchronous vibrations.
- The standing posture consistently yielded better virtual walking experiences than sitting or lying postures.
- Subjective scores for posture matching, body ownership, and sense of agency were higher with synchronized vibrations.
Conclusions:
- Synchronized foot vibrations are crucial for enhancing virtual walking immersion.
- Standing posture offers the most effective virtual walking experience, surpassing sitting and lying positions.
- While lying down is less effective than standing, it offers a comparable experience to sitting, suggesting potential for bedridden users with optimized haptic feedback.
