Resizing of the peripersonal space for the seated for different step frequencies of vibrations at the soles

Abstract

A sensation of walking in VR was mainly created by locomotion devices for people who are actually performing a walking action. The author previously showed that a sensation of walking was induced when a rhythmic pattern consisting of walking-sound vibrations was applied on the soles of seated persons. Moreover, the tactile reaction time decreased as a result of applying the vibrations, which will be considered an indirect behavioral proxy for PPS remapping. However, it is unclear whether the change occurs if the same waveform pattern is applied to the soles at different step frequencies of vibration, which represents the various walking experiences in VR. Here, the author shows that applying walkingsound vibrations to the soles expands the PPS, but only if they are presented at a credible walking frequency. The findings suggest that extension of the PPS of seated persons is sensitive to the fidelity of the walking dynamics.