Immersive virtual reality for learning exoskeleton‑like virtual walking: a feasibility study

This study explores using immersive virtual reality (IVR) to help people learn complex motor tasks, specifically controlling lower-limb exoskeletons for walking. The researchers investigated how different perspectives (first-person vs. third-person) and visual feedback affect learning to trigger steps in a virtual environment. The goal is to identify the best VR elements to promote motor learning of virtual gait tasks, which could then be applied to real-world exoskeleton training.

• 1
  Participants could learn to trigger steps using the HMD-IVR system, suggesting its potential for training complex motor tasks.
• 2
  No single combination of perspective and visual feedback improved all sub-tasks concurrently; the best approach may involve tailoring the perspective and feedback to each specific sub-task.
• 3
  Participants reported a high sense of embodiment over the virtual avatar regardless of perspective or visual feedback, indicating the system effectively creates a sense of presence.