Kinematic Gait Adjustments to Virtual Environments on Different Surface Conditions: Do Treadmill and Over-Ground Walking Exhibit Different Adaptations to Passive Virtual Immersion?

Figure 1

(a) Schematics of study design. Two groups (Group A and Group B) experienced VR protocol training over-ground and on a treadmill. Group A performed the VR over-ground protocol that included 4 natural walking (NW) trials, seven snowy (S) VRE trials, and seven crowded (C) VRE trials, followed by a VR treadmill protocol that included one NW trial, one S trial, and one C trial. Group B performed the VR treadmill protocol that included four NW trials, seven S VRE trials, and seven C VRE trials, followed by a VR over-ground protocol that included one NW trial, one S VRE trial, and one C VRE trial. Initial adaptation to VRE with respect to NW trials was compared between groups to test hypothesis 1. Initial kinematic changes in response to the first exposure to each VRE for each surface condition were compared between groups to test hypothesis 2. (b) Still-frame from the snowy and crowded virtual environment videos.

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