MORE | Spring 2021

The Use of a Virtual Cane for Improving Standing Postural Stability

This study introduces a virtual cane (VC) device for improving standing balance. Unlike typical canes, VC does not provide any physical support but haptic feedback to help users adjust their posture. Human experiments (containing 3 identical sessions) were conducted to justify the benefit of using VC during postural control. Subjects were asked to perform quiet stance trials on compliant grounds simulated by a dual-axis robotic platform with no cane, VC, or typical cane. The preliminary results demonstrate that subjects could effectively use VC after only 2 sessions, and their balance was considerably benefited in the medio-lateral direction.