Absence of Inertial Load on Hand Decreases Task Performance in Virtual Reality Interaction

Abstract

The inertia of manipulated objects contributes to natural human performance, but its effects on virtual reality (VR) interactions have rarely been investigated. Here, we designed a virtual goal-directed task, in which virtual objects with different masses were moved into a target hole. Based on synchronized kinematic and eye-tracking data, we examined the effects of inertia on participants’ performance during the virtual task in a virtual environment. Our results indicated that hand movements presented greater spatial variability and more discontinuities when the inertial load was removed. It suggested a decline in the ability of motor control and feedback regulation, since the absence of an inertial load weakened the proprioception for sensing limb movements. Eye-movement evidence indicated that increased preferential allocations of visual attention contribute to compensating the weakened proprioceptive cues, supporting the kinematic results. These findings reveal the importance and mechanism of inertial effects on human behaviors in VR interactions.

Keywords:

• Virtual reality
• goal-directed task
• inertial load
• motor control
• eye movements
• eye-hand coordination

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participants who joined the study and the reviewers for their insightful comments that helped to improve our paper

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China [11972066, T2288101, U20A20390, 11827803] and the National Key Research and Development Plan of China [2020YFC2007904].

Notes on contributors

Min Tang

Min Tang is received the MS degree in biomedical engineering from Beihang University, Beijing, China, in 2021, where he is currently pursuing the PhD degree. His research interests include the development of human-computer interaction interface and the design of novel rehabilitative strategies with visual and haptic feedback.

Xiaoyu Liu

Xiaoyu Liu is currently an Associate Professor with the School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University. His research interest includes human-VR interaction and the neural mechanism, multisensory perception and phycological modeling, novel rehabilitative strategies related to visual and haptic feedback, etc.

Ying Dong

Ying Dong received the MM degree in rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy from Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China, in 2013. She is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering with Beihang University, Beijing, China. Her research interests include the development of rehabilitation assessments and rehabilitation training.

Zhili Tang

Zhili Tang received the MS degree in kinesiology from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in 2015. She is currently pursuing the PhD degree in biomedical engineering with Beihang University, Beijing. Her research interests focus on developing an objective assessment of rehabilitation training and exploring the neural mechanism associated with visual information processing.

Hongqiang Huo

Hongqiang Huo received the MS degree in biomedical engineering from Beihang University, Beijing, China, in 2019, where he is currently pursuing the PhD degree. His research interests include the design of rehabilitation training robots, motor servo control, robot control algorithm, and rehabilitation training.

Linyuan Fan

Linyuan Fan is currently pursuing the BS degree in biomedical engineering at Beihang University, Beijing, China. His research interests include virtual reality and rehabilitation training.

Xiaofeng Qiao

Xiaofeng Qiao received the BS degree in biomedical engineering from Beihang University, Beijing, China, in 2020, where he is currently pursuing the MS degree. His research interests include the design of rehabilitation training, virtual reality navigation, and biomedical.

Duo Chen

Duo Chen received the MS degree in biomedical engineering from Beihang University, Beijing, China, in 2020, where he is currently pursuing the PhD degree in biomedical engineering with the School of Biological and Medical Engineering. His research interests include biomechanics and rehabilitation training.

Jinghui Wang

Jinghui Wang is currently pursuing the doctor of engineering degree is Beihang University, Beijing, China. Wang focuses on developing advanced human-machine interactions (HMIs) via bionics inspired engineering methods, and applying HMIs to sports medicine scenarios such as prosthetics, rehabilitation robots, and neuromorphic device.

Xin Du

Xin Du received the BS degree in biomedical engineering from Beihang University, Beijing, China, in 2021, where he is currently pursuing the MS degree. His research interests include the design of rehabilitation training robots, robot control algorithms, and rehabilitation training tasks.

Jieyi Guo

Jieyi Guo is pursuing his master’s degree at Beihang University. His research interests include the design of upper limb rehabilitation robot, motor servo control, robot control algorithm, and rehabilitation training.

Yubo Fan

Yubo Fan is currently a Professor of the School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering of Beihang University; the Dean of Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education in China; the fellow of AIMBE and IAMBE. His research interest includes biomedical devices, biomechanics and rehabilitation, etc.