Validation of Speed and Stride on the Uniport Mobility Platform.
Abstract
Three studies at the Human Research and Engineering Directorate of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory were performed to validate that a person travels at the same speed on the Uniport mobility platform as he or she would in real life. The Uniport consists of a unicycle type mobility platform, which allows a person to 'pedal' his or her way through the virtual environment. The first study involved having an individual walk, jog, and run in both settings. Different wheel gain settings within the software were used during the virtual part of the study. The wheel gain is the ratio between the average individual's stride length and one pedal rotation on the Uniport. Data that were collected included time and strides over a known distance. The second study was conducted to validate that the digital speedometer displayed on the monitor was correct. Individuals were told to travel at a particular speed on the speedometer and travel a known distance in the virtual environment. Time of travel was recorded and compared to the actual time that it would take to travel at that known speed and distance. The third study combined the information obtained and some techniques from the first two studies to determine what the wheel gain settings were needed to correlate strides and speed between the real and virtual environments. The results of these studies show that a wheel gain setting of 1.5 is to be used when a person is walking in the virtual environment. A wheel gain setting of 3.0 is to be used when the individual is jogging or running in the virtual environment. The validation of the digital speedometer was confirmed and will play an important role in future research of the Uniport.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA311797
Entities
People
- Andrea S. Krausman
- Douglas S. Savick
- James A. Faughn
- Kathy L. Leiter
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory