A Wheelchair Simulator Using Limited-Motion Patterns and Vection-Inducing Movies

Virtual reality (VR)-based wheelchair simulators have been used for rehabilitation and training, since a VR-based approach is more feasible than constructing physical courses for wheelchairs. However, existing VR-based wheelchair simulators have difficulty providing both visual and motion feedback at low cost. To address this issue, we propose a VR-based wheelchair simulator using a combination of motions attainable by an electric-powered wheelchair and vection-inducing movies displayed on a head-mounted display. This approach enables the user to have a richer simulation experience, because the scenes of the movie change as if the wheelchair performs motions that are not actually performable. Also, this system can be implemented only consumer products so as to keep cost low. We developed a proof of concept and conducted precise evaluation tasks, confirming that our approach can provide a richer experience for barrier simulations.