BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) is a potentially promising tool for enhancing real-world locomotion in individuals with mobility impairment through its ability to provide personalized performance feedback and simulate real-world challenges. However, it is unknown whether novel locomotor skills learned in VR show sustained transfer to the real world. Here, as an initial step towards developing a VR-based clinical intervention, we study how young adults learn and transfer a treadmill-based virtual obstacle negotiation skill to the real world. METHODS On Day 1, participants crossed virtual obstacles while walking on a treadmill, with the instruction to minimize foot clearance during obstacle crossing. Gradual changes in performance during training were fit via non-linear mixed effect models. Immediate transfer was measured by foot clearance during physical obstacle crossing while walking over-ground. Retention of the obstacle negotiation skill in VR and retention of over-ground transfer were assessed after 24 h. RESULTS On Day 1, participants systematically reduced foot clearance throughout practice by an average of 5 cm (SD 4 cm) and transferred 3 cm (SD 1 cm) of this reduction to over-ground walking. The acquired reduction in foot clearance was also retained after 24 h in VR and over-ground. There was only a small, but significant 0.8 cm increase in foot clearance in VR and no significant increase in clearance over-ground on Day 2. Moreover, individual differences in final performance at the end of practice on Day 1 predicted retention both in VR and in the real environment. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our results support the use of VR for locomotor training as skills learned in a virtual environment readily transfer to real-world locomotion. Future work is needed to determine if VR-based locomotor training leads to sustained transfer in clinical populations with mobility impairments, such as individuals with Parkinson's disease and stroke survivors.

中文翻译：

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虚拟现实中的运动技能获取显示了向真实世界的持续转移。

背景技术虚拟现实（VR）是通过提供个性化性能反馈和模拟现实世界挑战的能力来增强行动不便人士的现实世界运动的潜在有前途的工具。然而，未知的是，在VR中学习到的新颖运动技能是否能够持续转移到现实世界中。在这里，作为开发基于VR的临床干预措施的第一步，我们研究了年轻人如何学习和将基于跑步机的虚拟障碍物谈判技巧传递给现实世界。方法在第1天，参与者在跑步机上行走时越过了虚拟障碍物，并给出了在障碍物穿越过程中最小化脚部间隙的指令。通过非线性混合效应模型拟合了训练过程中性能的逐渐变化。立即转移是通过在地面上行走时物理障碍物穿越过程中脚的间隙来测量的。24小时后评估VR中障碍协商技巧的保留率和地面转移的保留率。结果在第1天，参与者在整个练习过程中系统地将脚部间隙平均减少了5厘米（标准差4厘米），并将这种减小的3厘米（标准差1厘米）转移到了地面上行走。在VR和地面上24小时后，脚部间隙的获得性减少也得以保留。在第2天，VR的脚部间隙仅增加了一个很小的但显着的0.8厘米，而在地面上的离地间隙则没有显着增加。此外，在练习的第1天结束时，最终表现的个体差异预测了VR和在真实环境中。结论总体而言，我们的研究结果支持将VR用于运动训练，因为在虚拟环境中学习到的技能很容易转移到现实世界的运动中。需要进行进一步的工作来确定基于VR的运动训练是否会导致行动不便的临床人群（如帕金森氏病患者和中风幸存者）持续转移。