Yuki Kon

Effect of Hanger Reflex on walking

Application of the Hanger Reflex to walking navigation was investigated. The Hanger Reflex is a phenomenon that produces an illusory force and involuntary rotation of the body parts by skin deformation. It was first applied at the head by using a wire hanger, but is now known to work on many body parts such as the waist, wrist, and ankle. In the first experiment, we confirmed that the Hanger Reflex at the waist significantly affects walking direction. In the second experiment combining Hanger Reflex devices at the head, waist, and ankle, we confirmed that the waist application is most effective, and that combined Hanger Reflex imparted limited influence on the results.

HangerOVER: HMD-embedded haptics display with hanger reflex

As a simple method to experience VR content with high immersion, we propose HangerOVER, an HMD-embedded haptics display that can provide both tactile and force senses using the Hanger Reflex (Figure 1). The Hanger Reflex is a phenomenon in which the head rotates unintentionally when appropriate pressure distribution is applied to the head. As it accompanies illusory external force and motion, it can be used to express haptics event in VR environment, such as being pushed and punched by a game character. The developed device is composed of air-driven balloons that can express four types of haptics senses such as touch, pressure, motion & force, and vibration. It can not only improve the immersion of the users VR experience, but also extends the degree of freedom of expression by game creators.

Hanger Reflex of the Head and Waist with Translational and Rotational Force Perception

The hanger reflex is a phenomenon in which the head involuntarily rotates when force is applied via a wire hanger placed on the head. The application of pressure to particular points of the head is necessary to induce this phenomenon, which occurs when shear deformation of the skin induces illusory force perception. Because the hanger reflex represents the induction of force and motion using a simple device, and has been found in other body parts such as the wrist, waist, and ankle, it is expected to be useful as an application in haptic interface technology. In this paper, we describe new directions of force associated with the hanger reflex; four translation, and two rotational directions of the head, and four translation and one rotational direction of the waist.

Interpretation of navigation information modulates the effect of the waist-type Hanger Reflex on walking

The Hanger Reflex is a phenomenon in which the head rotates unintentionally when force is applied via a wire hanger placed on the head. This phenomenon is caused by physical pressure on the skin, and the direction of the Hanger Reflex modulated by the direction of skin deformation. A previous study examined the use of the head-, waist-, and ankle-type Hanger Reflex on walking navigation without interpretation of navigation information, and found that the waist-type Hanger Reflex had the strongest effect on walking. However, the existing waist-type Hanger Reflex device is passive; i.e. must be operated by the user, which leads to the necessity of developing a new active type device for use as part of a navigational system. In this paper, we developed a controlled waist-type Hanger Reflex device with four pneumatic actuators. We investigated different interpretations of navigation information on the effect of our device on walking. Our interpretation conditions included “Natural”, in which users did not attempt to interpret the navigation information, “Follow”, and “Resist”, in which they actively followed, or resisted the navigation information, respectively. We confirmed that our waist-type Hanger Reflex device could control the walking path and body direction, depending on users interpretation of the navigational information.

Haptopus: Transferring the Touch Sense of the Hand to the Face Using Suction Mechanism Embedded in HMD

Along with the spread of VR experiences by HMD, many proposals have been made to improve the experience by providing tactile information to the fingertip, but there are problems such as difficulty in attaching and detaching and hindering free movement of fingers. As a method to solve these issues, we developed Haptopus, which embeds the tactile display in the HMD and presents tactile sense associated with fingers to the face. In this paper, we conducted a preliminary investigation on the best suction pressure and compared with the conventional tactile presentation approaches. As a result, it was confirmed that Haptopus improves the quality of the VR experience.

Optimization of the Hanger Reflex (I): Examining the Correlation Between Skin Deformation and Illusion Intensity

One method of presenting a pseudo-force sensation is based on a phenomenon called the hanger reflex, in which placement of a wire hanger on the head induces involuntary head rotation. The main cause of this phenomenon is considered to be a pseudo-force sensation generated by lateral displacement of the skin via skin compression. However, the relationship between the physical amount of skin displacement and the strength of the illusion has not been thoroughly investigated, impeding optimization of a device that elicits the hanger reflex. As a first step towards developing an optimized hanger reflex device, we describe a method for measuring the amount of skin deformation during the occurrence of the hanger reflex, by using optically observable artificial skin. We report the correlation between deformation of the artificial skin and head rotation angle, which had previously been reported only qualitatively.

Pilot Study of a Device to Induce the Hanger Reflex in Patients with Cervical Dystonia

The hanger reflex (HR) is an involuntary head rotation that occurs in response to a clothes hanger encircling the head and compressing the unilateral fronto-temporal area. Here, we developed an elliptical device to induce the HR and examined its utility for the treatment of cervical dystonia (CD). The study included 19 patients with rotational-type CD. The device was applied to each subject’s head for at least 30 min/day for 3 months. Severity scores on part 1 of the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale were evaluated at baseline and after the 3-month trial. Mean scores without and with the device were significantly different both at baseline (16.6 vs. 14.7, respectively; P < 0.05) and after the trial (14.9 vs. 13.6, respectively; P < 0.05). This preliminary trial suggests that our device can improve abnormal head rotation in patients with CD.

HangerON: a belt-type human walking controller using the hanger reflex haptic illusion

While walking with a navigation device, visual and auditory navigation information can require interpretation, and may distract the user from potential hazards. As a novel way to provide navigation information without distraction, we propose a method whereby the Hanger Reflex, which is an illusory phenomenon caused by haptic stimulus, influences walking. We have developed a way to stimulate the Hanger Reflex at the users waist, thus eliciting rotation towards the left or right. In this paper, we describe three different uses of our system: 1) Normal walking navigation, in which the device automatically navigates the user to the destination; 2) remote control of one user by another user; and 3) self-control of walking.

2A1-C04 Effect of Waist-type Hanger Reflex on Walking

When a wire hanger is placed on the head, the head rotates involuntarily. This phenomenon is called the “Hanger Reflex”, and it was also found at the waist and wrist. This paper focuses on the waist-type hanger reflex and its effect on walking. We found that the waist-type hanger reflex turn the direction of walking to the same direction as the rotation direction of hanger reflex, which can be applied to navigation interface.