Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 9.8
Control algorithm
for Torus Treadmill
9.3.4 Effects of Walking on the Torus Treadmill
The Torus Treadmill provides for natural turning motion. The walker on the Torus
Treadmill can physically turn about on the active floor. Turning motion using the
feet has major contribution to human spatial recognition performance. Vestibular
and proprioceptive feedback is essential to the sense of orientation [
11
].
The same principle as the Torus Treadmill is used in the “CyberWalk Platform”
that has a large walking area (Fig.
9.9
). The device was constructed at Max Planck
Institute and used for study on psychological characteristics [
27
,
28
].
9.3.5 Limitation of Torus Treadmill
A major limitation of the Torus Treadmill is its inability to render uneven surfaces.
Theoretically, such a device can be modified for simulation of uneven surface. If an
array of linear actuators on each treadmill is installed, uneven floor can be realized
by controlling the length of each linear actuator. However, this method is almost
Fig. 9.9
CyberWalk platform
