Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
Biomechanics of Walking in Real World:
Naturalness we Wish to Reach in Virtual Reality
Franck Multon and Anne-Hélène Olivier
Abstract
In most virtual reality (VR) simulations the virtual world is larger than
the real walking workspace. The workspace is often bounded by the tracking area
or the display devices. Hence, many researchers have proposed technical solutions
to make people walk through large virtual spaces using various types of metaphors
and multisensory feedback. To achieve this goal it is necessary to understand how
people walk in real life. This chapter reports biomechanical data describing human
walking including kinematics, dynamics and energetics knowledge for straight line
and nonlinear walking. Reference and normative values are provided for most of these
variables, which could help developers and researchers improve the naturalness of
walking in large virtual environments, or to propose evaluation metrics. For each
section of this chapter, we will provide some potential applications in VR. On the
one hand, this type of knowledge could be used to design more natural interaction
devices such as omnidirectional treadmills, walk-in-placemethods, or other facilities.
A specific section is dedicated to comparisons between treadmill and ground walking
as it is one of the most popular approaches in VR. On the other hand, this knowledge
could also be useful to improve the quality of multisensory feedback when walking,
such as adding sounds, vibrations, or more natural camera control.
3.1 Introduction
Walking is one of the most used motions in everyday life and has consequently been
widely studied from antiquity. Exclusive biped walking is a special characteristic
of human locomotion that cannot be found in any other primate. Hence, it is the
(
B
)
University Rennes2, Campus La Harpe, Av. Charles Tillon, CS24414, F35044 Rennes, France
e-mail: franck.multon@univ-rennes2.fr
A. Olivier
Campus Universitaire de Beaulieu, F35042 Rennes, France
F. Multon
