Most existing locomotion devices that represent the sensation of walking target a user who is actually performing a walking motion. Here, we attempted to represent the walking sensation, especially a kinesthetic sensation and advancing feeling (the sense of moving forward) while the user remains seated. To represent the walking sensation using a relatively simple device, we focused on the force rendering and its evaluation of the longitudinal friction force applied on the sole during walking. Based on the measurement of the friction force applied on the sole during actual walking, we developed a novel friction force display that can present the friction force without the influence of body weight. Using performance evaluation testing, we found that the proposed method can stably and rapidly display friction force. Also, we developed a virtual reality (VR) walk-through system that is able to present the friction force through the proposed device according to the avatar's walking motion in a virtual world. By evaluating the realism, we found that the proposed device can represent a more realistic advancing feeling than vibration feedback.

翻译：大多数现有的步行感觉呈现设备针对的是实际执行步行运动的用户。本文尝试在用户保持坐姿的情况下呈现行走感觉，特别是动觉和前进感（向前移动的感觉）。为使用相对简单的设备呈现行走感觉，我们专注于行走过程中足底受到的纵向摩擦力及其力反馈评估。基于实际行走时足底摩擦力的测量，我们开发了一种新型摩擦力显示装置，该装置能在不受体重影响的情况下呈现摩擦力。通过性能评估测试，我们发现所提出的方法能够稳定且快速地呈现摩擦力。此外，我们开发了一个虚拟现实（VR）漫游系统，能够根据虚拟世界中虚拟角色的行走运动，通过所提出的设备呈现摩擦力。通过真实度评估，我们发现所提出的设备比振动反馈能呈现更真实的前进感。