Sense of Embodiment Inducement for People with Reduced Lower-body Mobility and Sensations with Partial-Visuomotor Stimulation

Abstract

To induce the Sense of Embodiment (SoE) on the virtual 3D avatar during a Virtual Reality (VR) walking scenario, VR interfaces have employed the visuotactile or visuomotor approaches. However, people with reduced lower-body mobility and sensation (PRLMS) who are incapable of feeling or moving their legs would find this task extremely challenging. Here, we propose an upper-body motion tracking-based partial-visuomotor technique to induce SoE and positive feedback for PRLMS patients. We design partial-visuomotor stimulation consisting of two distinctive inputs (Button Control & Upper Motion tracking) and outputs (wheelchair motion & Gait Motion). The preliminary user study was conducted to explore subjective preference with qualitative feedback. From the qualitative study result, we observed the positive response on the partial-visuomotor regarding SoE in the asynchronous VR experience for PRLMS.