Improving Standing Balance with Mid-Air Haptic Feedback

Improving standing balance to prevent falls is critical to maintaining well-being.In this paper, we propose an innovative use of mid-air haptic feedback to improve standing balance using the light touch effect, a phenomenon previously studied in the medical field.The light touch effect involves an improvement in standing balance when a wall or handrail is touched with a force of 1 N or less.To exploit this phenomenon, we use focused ultrasound to create an invisible touchable point in the air.When users touch the focused point with their hands, they experience the light touch effect that improves their balance.We conducted a user study and confirmed that the invisible light touch improved standing balance.