Immersive virtual reality for learning exoskeleton-like virtual walking: a feasibility study.
Antonio Rodríguez-Fernández, Alex van den Berg, Salvatore Luca Cucinella and 3 others
PMID 39487470WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy adults learned to trigger more virtual steps after immersive VR training.
Feedback and viewpoint did not clearly improve step triggering, and usability was only marginal.
Key findings
01The number of steps increased after training, with reported values of 6.95 at baseline and 13.32 at retention.
02Trunk inclination and deviation from target stride length did not change overall, and neither feedback nor viewpoint improved the number of steps or trunk inclination.
03For deviation from target stride length, the first-person no-feedback group outperformed the other groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study tested healthy adults, not people with motor or sensory disorders. It does not show how patients would learn or use a real exoskeleton. The sample was small and split across four conditions. Training was brief, and retention was tested only immediately after training. Longer learning is unknown. The task created sensory conflict, not true sensory loss. It may not model patients' experience well.
Declared interests
The supplied text states that the funder was Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca. No other conflicts are stated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that immersive VR with feedback or a chosen viewpoint is proven to improve exoskeleton training. The participants were healthy adults, the task was simulated, and neither feedback nor viewpoint improved the number of steps.