  The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of several auditory
feedback modalities on gait (i.e., walking patterns) in virtual reality (VR).
Prior research has substantiated gait disturbances in VR users as one of the
primary obstacles to VR usability. However, minimal research has been done to
mitigate this issue. We recruited 39 participants (with mobility impairments:
18, without mobility impairments: 21) who completed timed walking tasks in a
real-world environment and the same tasks in a VR environment with various
types of auditory feedback. Within-subject results showed that each auditory
condition significantly improved gait performance while in VR (p < .001)
compared to the no auditory condition in VR for both groups of participants
with and without mobility impairments. Moreover, spatial audio improved gait
performance significantly (p < .001) compared to other auditory conditions for
both groups of participants. This research could help to make walking in VR
more accessible for people with and without mobility impairments.
