SilverCycling: Exploring the Impact of Bike-Based Locomotion on Spatial Orientation for Older Adults in VR

TL;DR

This study addresses how natural motion-based VR locomotion, specifically bike-based SilverCycling, affects spatial orientation in older adults. Using a within-subject design, older participants navigated an open-road urban VR route with SilverCycling and a joystick baseline, assessing path-integration tasks and subjective experience. Results show SilverCycling improves Intersection Direction Task accuracy (79% vs 50%) and trend-level gains in Landmark Sequence Task, with higher enjoyment and perceived safety, while motion sickness remains comparable. The work yields design implications emphasizing physical motion cues, familiarity, and safer interaction models to enhance VR accessibility for aging populations and informs future VR locomotion development.

Abstract

Spatial orientation is essential for people to effectively navigate and interact with the environment in everyday life. With age-related cognitive decline, providing VR locomotion techniques with better spatial orientation performance for older adults becomes important. Such advancements not only make VR more accessible to older adults but also enable them to reap the potential health benefits of VR technology. Natural motion-based locomotion has been shown to be effective in enhancing younger users' performance in VR navigation tasks that require spatial orientation. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding the impact of natural motion-based locomotion on spatial orientation for older adults in VR. To address this gap, we selected the SilverCycling system, a VR bike-based locomotion technique that we developed, as a representative of natural motion-based locomotion, guided by findings from our pilot study. We conducted a user study with 16 older adults to compare SilverCycling with the joystick-based controller. The findings suggest SilverCycling's potential to significantly enhance spatial orientation in the open-road urban environment for older adults, offering a better user experience. Based on our findings, we identify key factors influencing spatial orientation and propose design recommendations to make VR locomotion more accessible and user-friendly for older adults.

Figures (7)

• Figure 1: SilverCycling System Components and the main working process. The setup includes a Modified Indoor Cycling Machine equipped with a (e) Handlebar Encoder and a (b) Pedal Encoder to detect physical movements. (c) MCU reads input signals and subsequently transmits these signals to the PC. (a) The users wear the VR headset and movement is synchronously mapped to the camera movement within the VR environment in the headset. (d) The monitor is used for observation by researchers.
• Figure 2: Illustration of two walking locomotion modes: (a) omnidirectional walking (ODW) setup and (b) walking-in-place (WIP) setup.
• Figure 3: The SilverCycling system and JC. (a) Depicts the interaction method of the SilverCycling system. (b) Shows the interaction method of the.
• Figure 4: Task Scene and Routes in a Medium-Scale Urban Environment. (a) Depicts the task scene created using the Fantastic City Generator 2023City, showcasing a medium-scale urban setting with a unique single landmark on a building near selected intersections. (b) Represents Route 1, and (c) illustrates Route 2, both designed to avoid potential learning effects. Each route comprises five distinct intersections, each marked by a unique landmark, and directional guidance is provided by green arrows on the ground.
• Figure 5: Overview of the experimental flow, from introduction and warm-up to semi-structured interviews, detailing a sequence of tasks with specified durations. Initial tasks include SilverCycling and JC locomotion (Step 1), followed by the Intersection Direction Task (Step 2), the Landmark Sequence Task (Step 3), and evaluations using SSQ, IPQ, NASA-TLX, and 7-Likert Scales (Step 4). The sequence concludes with a counterbalanced repetition (a-b or b-a).