Age-related declines in perceptual and motor processing can impair the rapid visuomotor adjustments needed to interact with moving objects. Mixed Reality (MR) technologies provide a controlled, immersive platform for examining these behaviors by enabling precise manipulation of motion trajectories. This pilot study investigated how healthy older adults respond to interception demands when attempting to catch a virtual drone that flies away from them in different directions.
Eight participants (mean age 69.6 ± 4 years; 4 male, 4 female; all right-handed) used a Meta Quest 3 headset to perform rapid catching tasks in which a virtual drone departed from a fixed starting point and moved forward, rightward, or upward at three speeds (0.4, 0.6, 0.8 m/s). Reaction time (RT) and success rate (SR) were measured and analyzed using non-parametric statistics. Directional differences in SR became pronounced at higher speeds (0.6 and 0.8 m/s): rightward movements achieved substantially higher SR (60–100%) compared to upward movements (10–30%). Speed significantly affected SR for forward and upward directions, while RT showed highly significant changes in rightward and upward directions.
These findings indicate that older adults can initiate responses rapidly in MR, yet spatial constraints—particularly those associated with upward interception—continue to limit performance when targets move away in depth or elevation. The results highlight MR’s utility as a safe and adaptable platform for evaluating visuomotor control in aged populations and for designing direction-specific assessment or training protocols. Future work should explore MR-based interventions and track visuomotor adaptation over extended training periods.

Authors:
Fong-Chin Su, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Kanjana Chaitika, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Hsiao-Feng Chieh, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Chien-Ju Lin, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Kai-Nan An, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Jackrit Suthakorn, Mahidol University, Thailand

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Kanjana Chaitika is currently a dual PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, and Mahidol University, Thailand.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

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