Biomechanical and Physiological Validation of the Omni-Directional Treadmill Upgrade as a Mobility Platform for Immersive Environments

Abstract

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.ii REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number.A novel mobility platform, the Omni-Directional Treadmill (ODT) Upgrade, has been developed to allow users to move through a virtual environment in a manner equivalent to doing so in the real world. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the extent to which walking on the ODT Upgrade is comparable to walking overground for selected biomechanical and physiological variables. Temporal-spatial parameters, sagittal plane joint kinematics, and metabolic cost were assessed for 10 subjects as they walked along identical circular courses overground and on the ODT Upgrade. Except for a reduction in ankle plantarflexion following toe-off on the ODT Upgrade, differences in gait mechanics between the overground and ODT Upgrade trials were relatively small. However, oxygen consumption was more than 20% greater during walking on the ODT Upgrade than overground, and must be taken into account when comparing the results of training and research conducted on the ODT Upgrade to that of the real world. Future studies are required to develop a better understanding of the potential mechanisms behind this substantial increase in metabolic cost. In conclusion, the ODT Upgrade permits users to walk through a virtual environment in a relatively natural way but with a significant increase in physiological demand. 15. SUBJECT TERMS omni-directional treadmill, gait, metabolic cost, immersive simulation, mobility interface 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT UU 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 38 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON Unclassified b. ABSTRACT Unclassified c. THIS PAGE Unclassified 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) 410-278-3621 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8/98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18

The Effects of Simulated Hearing Loss on Speech Recognition and Walking Navigation

“…Figure 1 shows a person walking on the ODT in the IES. A validation study was conducted to compare walking on the ODT with walking over ground for selected biomechanical and physiological variables and to quantify any significant differences (Boynton, Kehring, & White, 2011). Motion capture, gait analysis, and cardiopulmonary measurement techniques were employed to obtain objective measures of temporal-spatial gait parameters, sagittal plane joint kinematics, and metabolic cost for 10 participants walking at two speeds (1.12 m/s and 1.34 m/s) along a circular course (4.3-m radius) over ground and in the IES along an identical circular course in the simulated environment.…”