Study on the Improvement of Equilibrium Sense of the Elderly Using Virtual Bicycle System

가상 자전거 시스템을 이용한 고령자의 평형감각 증진에 관한 연구

In this paper, a new rehabilitation training system was developed to improve equilibrium sense by combining virtual reality technology with a fixed exercise bicycle. The subjects consisted of two groups. A group of young people, was compared against a group of elderly. We measured three different running modes of virtual bicycle system with two successive sets. The parameters measured were running time, velocity, the weight movement, the degree of the deviation from the road, and the variables about the center of pressure. The repeated training, our results showed that the running capability of the elderly improve compared, In addition, it was found out that the ability of postural control and the equilibrium sense was improved with the presentation of the visual feedback information of the distribution of weight. From the results of this experiment, we showed that our newly developed system might be useful in the diagnosis of equilibrium sense or in the improvement of the sense of sight and, somatic, and vestibular sense of the elderly in the field of rehabilitation training.