A Virtual Obstacle Course within Diverse Sensory Environments

TL;DR

This paper introduces an immersive virtual reality platform with sensory and cognitive challenges designed to assess and improve walking balance and obstacle negotiation in diverse environments.

Contribution

The study presents a novel, integrated VR assessment system combining visual, auditory, and pressure sensing modalities for comprehensive balance evaluation.

Findings

Effective assessment of balance and obstacle negotiation demonstrated.

System can identify specific sensory and cognitive deficits affecting gait.

Potential for personalized balance training and fall prevention programs.

Abstract

We developed a novel assessment platform with untethered virtual reality, 3-dimensional sounds, and pressure sensing floor mat to help assess the walking balance and negotiation of obstacles given diverse sensory load and/or cognitive load. The platform provides an immersive 3D city-like scene with anticipated/unanticipated virtual obstacles. Participants negotiate the obstacles with perturbations of: auditory load by spatial audio, cognitive load by a memory task, and visual flow by generated by avatars movements at various amounts and speeds. A VR headset displays the scenes while providing real-time position and orientation of the participant's head. A pressure-sensing walkway senses foot pressure and visualizes it in a heatmap. The system helps to assess walking balance via pressure dynamics per foot, success rate of crossing obstacles, available response time as well as head kinematics in response to obstacles and multitasking. Based on the assessment, specific balance training and fall prevention program can be prescribed.