Standing Balance Improvement Using Vibrotactile Feedback in Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) users often encounter postural instability, i.e., balance issues, which can be a significant impediment to universal usability and accessibility, particularly for those with balance impairments. Prior research has validated imbalance issues, but little effort has been made to mitigate them. We recruited 39 participants (with balance impairments: 18, without balance impairments: 21) to examine the effect of various vibrotactile feedback techniques on balance in virtual reality, specifically spatial vibrotactile, static vibrotactile, rhythmic vibrotactile, and vibrotactile feedback mapped to the center of pressure (CoP). Participants completed standing visual exploration and standing reach and grasp tasks. According to within-subject results, each vibrotactile feedback enhanced balance in VR significantly (p <.001) for those with and without balance impairments. Spatial and CoP vibrotactile feedback enhanced balance significantly more (p <.001) than other vibrotactile feedback. This study presents strategies that might be used in future virtual environments to enhance standing balance and bring VR closer to universal usage.