Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 9.4
Evacuation Simula-
tor
9.3 Treadmills
9.3.1 Related Works in Treadmill-Based Locomotion Interface
A simple device for virtual walking is a treadmill, which is ordinarily used for physical
fitness. An application of such a device to a virtual building simulator was developed
at the University of North Carolina [ 2 ]. This treadmill had a steering bar similar to that
of a bicycle. At ATR in Japan, Noma et al. developed a treadmill-based locomotion
interface named ATLAS. Later, it was equipped with a series of linear actuators
underneath the belt [ 19 ]. The device, named GSS, was able to simulate slopes of
virtual terrain. The Treadport device (Fig. 9.5 ) developed at the University of Utah
is a treadmill that is combined with a large manipulator connected to a walker [ 4 ].
The manipulator provides gravitational forces while the walker is traversing a slope.
The major problem of a treadmill-based locomotion interface is to allow the walker
to change direction. One of the possible solutions for realizing omni-directional
walking on a treadmill is to use small rollers to move the walker in perpendicular
directions. The ODT, or Omni-directional Treadmill, employs two perpendicular
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