Effects of Auditory–Tactile Rhythmic Cueing on Gait Parameters in Older Adults

Abstract

Five adults aged ≥65 years completed four within-subject conditions in random order: no cue, audio-only, tactile-only, and synchronized audio–tactile cueing. In all cue conditions, the cue tempo was individualized to 10% above each participant’s natural walking cadence. Participants walked along a flat 20 m indoor straight walkway; gait was analyzed over the central 10 m steady-state segment recorded on video. To simulate public-transit ambient noise, a looped recording of real-world transit sound was played in the measurement area at 70 dBA, and illumination was maintained above 200 lux to minimize lighting-related confounds. Walking speed, cadence, and mean step length were derived from traversal time and step events extracted from video. For each participant, walking-speed change under each cue condition was computed relative to the no-cue baseline, and medians and ranges were reported to summarize overall trends and individual differences. Participants’ perceptions were assessed using a five-point Likert scale and a brief interview.This study examines, under realistic noise constraints, how auditory, tactile, and temporally synchronized audio–tactile rhythmic cueing differentially affect walking performance in older adults.

Keywords: Rhythmic Cueing, rhythmic Auditory Stimulation, RAS, Rhythmic Tactile Pulses, audio–tactile Temporal Synchrony

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007302