You make a good point -- basically, our brain could understand that our body is fixed in space, and that when we "walk" we're actually sliding the environment around with our feet. And just quickly get used to it.
It's not clear that this would work, but it's not implausible either. Maybe it'll make us nauseous, or maybe it'll feel different but still work fine.
I wonder if it can make normal walking more difficult. Like when looking through a pair of glasses that flips everything upside down, after a while your brain adapts and this becomes the new normal.
Firstly this is a genetic algorithm designed walk. If that is your criticism, it's easy to fix. Simply make the head feel pain, as an extra constraint. This algorithm is trying to find ways of moving the body it was given in a way that would work (like a human or any animal would. This algorithm is trying to be smart about moving around, it's NOT trying to imitate human animators. You want that, we have algorithms for that as well.
Second, is this really a valid criticism ? In a pinch, I have in fact used my head as an appendage to move around, to support things when moving furniture, and a million other ways so ... I don't see the problem. I have in fact moved furniture with a partially disabled person that used his head as an appendage to keep furniture stable just like I did. I always found that disabled people prefer that you just ignore their disabilities, as much as possible (unless it makes something truly impossible for them, but hard is just fine). Is that a wrong attitude ?
There you 'actively' walk and 'manually' keep balance. It's an interesting experience, but it makes walking a conscious act, it becomes something you do.
Arguably that is less realistic than just moving an analog stick, for most people walking is just telling your body to move in direction x.
I've known a few people where walking was physically just too much for them. Generally very morbidly obese and there was no way they could follow the walking advice even if they wanted to.
I'm talking about people that literally had spinal fractures from standing up (pretty sad really).
>what do you do when you need to walk a quarter mile in the mall?
Frequent breaks at benches or use of an assistive device. Before she stopped driving at all my grandmother could walk on her own, though very slowly. She probably could have walked from the far end of the parking lot but it was simply dangerous for her to do so. If she went to the mall she'd walk as much as she could and sit and rest, then continue on. Eventually she started using a walking before she lost most of her mobility.
Generally around when you're too frail to safely stop unexpectedly. Or probably a little after that, just like how people keep driving their cars a bit too long.
As an anecdote, my father has trouble walking nowadays - I think getting him to walk one km is ambitious. He does still use an electric bicycle though.
I have nerve damage because of a spinal problem, I walk with a slight limp not because I've lost strength but because I can't always accurately 'feel' where my foot is.
It's definitely not just a brisk walk. Walking at that speed for extended periods of time is likely going to be painful and most people probably couldn't do it.
Well, the blind and sight-impaired have been walking (and running) for years, so I'd vote "yes".
Even people with impressive visual hallucinations are still capable of walking.
That said, vertigo (where your eyes and your inner ear are in violent disagreement as to whether you are moving) can impair movement, though you can grow accustomed to the "disagreement".
I have spent a long time in electric wheelchairs. I can move around a room with a control pad and am comfortable without getting nausea.
After a few hours won't people's brains just start to accept that walking is something we do with our thumbs now?
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