Development of a Dropping Motion Presentation Device with Bellows Actuator to Improve the Sensation of Falling in a VR

This paper describes the improvement of a dropping motion presentation device to enhance the sensation of falling in a VR space. In this study, we developed a bellows actuator-type dropping motion device that is lightweight and bendable in order to improve the sensation of walking when wearing the device. In addition, an exhaust gas control device was fabricated to control the large flow of exhaust air necessary for the bellows actuator to operate, and a two-step dropping motion was realized, which is a motion technique to improve the sensation of falling. In the walking sensation evaluation experiment, the ease of walking when wearing the product and actual walking were evaluated. The results showed that the developed device scored higher than the conventional device in both the subject's subjective sensation and objective evaluation items. There was also a statistically significant difference between these scores, and it was concluded that the improved device contributed to an improvement in the comfort of walking for the wearer.