Name: using a virtual reality walking simulator to investigate pedestrian behavior
Uploaded: 2020-06-09T12:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Using a Virtual Reality Walking Simulator to Investigate Pedestrian Behavior at JoVE.com

The Korea Institute funded this work for Advancement of Technology and Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (grant number 10044775).

This experimental protocol involves human subjects. The procedure was approved by the Kunsan National University Research Board.
1. Preparation of equipment
NOTE: The equipment includes the following: a personal computer (PC, 3.3 GHz with 8 GM) with a mouse, keyboard, and monitor; Walking Simulator software installed on the desktop PC; a customized treadmill (width: 0.67 m, length: 1.26 m, height: 1.10 m) equipped with handrails, a belt, and a magnetic encoder with a ...

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Previous studies have used simulators with projected screens16,17, but this protocol improves ecological validity via a fully immersive virtual view (i.e., 360 degrees). In addition, requiring participants to walk on a treadmill enables the examination of how children and young adults calibrate their actions to a changing environment. This experimental design&#8217;s virtual scene changes simultaneously with participant motions, and the vehicles arrive at the ped...

An erratum was issued for:&#160;<a href="https://www.jove.com/t/61116/using-virtual-reality-walking-simulator-to-investigate-pedestrian">Using a Virtual Reality Walking Simulator to Investigate Pedestrian Behavior</a>. An&#160;affiliation was updated.
The first affiliation was updated from:
Department of Sports Science, Kunsan National University
to:
Department of Sport and Exercise&#160;Sciences, Kunsan National University

An erratum was issued for:&#160;<a href="https://www.jove.com/t/61116/using-virtual-reality-walking-simulator-to-investigate-pedestrian">Using a Virtual Reality Walking Simulator to Investigate Pedestrian Behavior</a>. Author and affiliation information&#160;were&#160;updated.

Erratum: Using a Virtual Reality Walking Simulator to Investigate Pedestrian Behavior

Gap crossing, an interceptive behavior, requires moving oneself in relation to a gap between two moving vehicles1,2,3,4. Gap crossing involves perceiving oncoming vehicles and controlling movement in relation to moving traffic. This requires actions to be precisely coupled with perceived information. Many previous studies have examined perceptual judgment and gap-crossing behavior using artificial roads, roadside simulators, and screen projection virtual environments5,6. However, previous road-crossing literature has an incomplete understanding of this behavior, and the ecological validity of these studies has been questioned7,8,9.
This protocol presents a research paradigm for studying gap crossing behavior in virtual reality, thus maximizing ecological validity. A walking simulator is used to examine the perception and actions of gap crossing behavior. The simulator provides a safe walking environment for participants, and the actual walking in the simulated environment allows researchers to fully capture the reciprocal relationship between perception and action. Individuals who actually cross a road are known to judge the time gap more accurately than those who only verbally decide to cross10. The virtual environment is ecologically valid and allows researchers to easily change task-related variables by altering the program&#8217;s parameters.
In this study, a participant&#8217;s initial starting location is manipulated to assess the velocity control while approaching the gap. This protocol allows the investigation of pedestrian locomotion control while intercepting a gap. Analyzing a participant&#8217;s velocity changing over time allows a functional interpretation of velocity adjustments while he or she approaches a gap.
In addition, the spatial and temporal characteristics of intercepted objects specify how a person can move. In a gap crossing environment, changing of the gap size (inter-vehicle distances) and vehicle size should affect how a pedestrian&#8217;s locomotion also changes. Accordingly, manipulating the gap characteristics will likely cause velocity adjustments in the participant&#8217;s approaching behavior. Thus, manipulating gap characteristics (i.e., gap size and vehicle size) provides valuable information for understanding crossing behavior changes according to various gap characteristics. This study examines how children and young adults regulate their velocity when crossing gaps in various crossing environments. The speed regulation profile can be assessed for various gap crossing environments with different starting locations, inter-vehicle distances, and vehicle sizes.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Customized treadmill</td>
			<td>Kunsan National University</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Treadmill built for this study</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Desktop PC</td>
			<td>Multiple companies</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Standard Desktop PC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Oculus Rift Development Kit</td>
			<td>Oculus VR, LLC</td>
			<td>DK1</td>
			<td>Virtual reality headset</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Walking Simulator Software</td>
			<td>Kunsan National University</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Software deloped for this experiment</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

using a virtual reality walking simulator to investigate pedestrian behavior

To cross a road successfully, individuals must coordinate their movements with moving vehicles. This paper describes use of a walking simulator in which people walk on a treadmill to intercept gaps between two moving vehicles in an immersive virtual environment. Virtual reality allows for a safe and ecologically varied investigation of gap crossing behavior. Manipulating the initial starting distance can further the understanding of a participant&#8217;s speed regulation while approaching a gap. The speed profile may be assessed for various gap crossing variables, such as initial distance, vehicle size, and gap size. Each walking simulation results in a position/time series that can inform how velocity is adjusted differently depending on the gap characteristics. This methodology can be used by researchers investigating pedestrian behavior and behavioral dynamics while employing human participants in a safe and realistic setting.

The walking simulator can be used to examine a pedestrian&#8217;s crossing behavior while manipulating the initial distance from curb to interception point and the gap characteristics (i.e., gap and vehicle sizes). The virtual environment method allows the manipulation of gap characteristics to understand how dynamically changing crossing environments affect children&#8217;s and young adults&#8217; road-crossing behaviors.
A quantified velocity profile and crossing position within the gap used...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Using a Virtual Reality Walking Simulator to Investigate Pedestrian Behavior at JoVE.com

Using a Virtual Reality Walking Simulator to Investigate Pedestrian Behavior

This protocol describes use of a walking simulator that serves as a safe and ecologically valid method to study pedestrian behavior in the presence of moving traffic.

To cross a road successfully, individuals must coordinate their movements with moving vehicles. This paper describes use of a walking simulator in which ...

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