The Impact of Visual Feedback and Avatar Presence on Balance in Virtual Reality

Balance board training is a promising method to enhance physical rehabilitation for humans with motor problems through interactive exercises. Previous work highlighted the benefits of balance board training in virtual reality (VR) compared to conventional methods. However, it is still unclear how visual target feedback and the presence of an avatar influence balance behavior in immersive environments. We conducted an experimental user study with 24 participants without motor impairments to investigate the effects of visual target feedback and a human avatar on balance performance and perceived workload in VR. Quantitative results show that visual target feedback significantly improves balance performance without increasing workload in VR. In contrast, an avatar shows no effect on performance and workload, which is also confirmed by qualitative feedback. Finally, we discuss the implications of our study for future developments of virtual balance board training exercises and highlight potential applications of visual target feedback.