Virtual environments (VEs) that use a real-walking locomotion interface have typically been restricted in size to the area of the tracked lab space. Techniques proposed to lift this size constraint, enabling real walking in VEs that are larger than the tracked lab space, all require reorientation techniques (ROTs) in the worst-case situation–when a user is close to walking out of the tracked space. We propose a new ROT using distractors–objects in the VE for the user to focus on while the VE rotates—and compare our method to current ROTs through two user studies. Our findings show ROTs using distractors were preferred and ranked more natural by users. Users were also less aware of the rotating VE when ROTs with distractors were used.

Walking-in-place techniques for locomotion in virtual environments typically have two problems that impact their usability: system latency (particularly troublesome when starting and stopping locomotion), and the fact that the change in the user’s viewpoint may not be smooth and continuous. This paper describes a new WIP interface that improves both latency and the continuity of synthesized locomotion in the virtual environment. By basing the virtual avatar motion on the speed of the user’s heel motion while walking in place, we create a direct mapping from foot-motion to locomotion that is responsive, intuitive, and easy to implement. In this paper, we describe the technique, analyze its starting and stopping latency, and provide experimental results on the suppression of false steps and general usability of the system.

In late 2006, Nintendo released a new game controller, the Wiimote, which included a three-axis accelerometer. Since then, a large variety of novel applications for these controllers have been developed by both independent and commercial developers. We add to this growing library with three performance interfaces that allow the user to control the motion of a dynamically simulated, animated character through the motion of his or her arms, wrists, or legs. For comparison, we also implement a traditional joystick/button interface. We assess these interfaces by having users test them on a set of tracks containing turns and pits. Two of the interfaces (legs and wrists) were judged to be more immersive and were better liked than the joystick/button interface by our subjects. All three of the Wiimote interfaces provided better control than the joystick interface based on an analysis of the failures seen during the user study.

Navigation is the most common interactive task performed in three-dimensional virtual environments (VEs), but it is also a task that users often find difficult. We investigated how body-based information about the translational and rotational components of movement helped participants to perform a navigational search task (finding targets hidden inside boxes in a room-sized space). When participants physically walked around the VE while viewing it on a head-mounted display (HMD) then they performed 90 % of trials perfectly, comparable to participants who had performed an equivalent task in the real world during a previous study. By contrast, participants performed less than 50 % of trials perfectly if they used a tethered HMD (move by physically turning but pressing a button to translate) or a desktop display (no body-based information). This is the most complex navigational task in which a real-world level of performance has been achieved in a VE. Behavioral data indicate that both translational and rotational body-based information are required to accurately update one’s position during navigation, and participants who walked tended to avoid obstacles even though collision detection was not implemented and feedback not provided. A walking interface would bring immediate benefits to a number of VE applications.

The Walking-In-Place interaction technique was introduced to navigate infinitely in 3D virtual worlds by walking in place in the real world. The technique has been initially developed for users standing in immersive setups and was built upon sophisticated visual displays and tracking equipments. In this paper, we propose to revisit the whole pipeline of the Walking-In-Place technique to match a larger set of configurations and apply it notably to the context of desktop Virtual Reality. With our novel ”Shake-Your-Head ” technique, the user is left with the possibility to sit down, and to use small screens and standard input devices such as a basic webcam for tracking. The locomotion simulation can compute various motions such as turning, jumping and crawling, using as sole input the head movements of the user. We also introduce the use of additional visual feedback based on camera motions to enhance the walking sensations. An experiment was conducted to compare our technique with classical input devices used for navigating in desktop VR. Interestingly, the results showed that our technique could even allow faster navigations when sitting, after a short learning. Our technique was also perceived as more fun and increasing presence, and was generally more appreciated for VR navigation.

The Walking-In-Place interaction technique was introduced to navigate infinitely in 3D virtual worlds by walking in place in the real world. The technique has been initially developed for users standing in immersive setups and was built upon sophisticated visual displays and tracking equipments. In this paper, we propose to revisit the whole pipeline of the Walking-In-Place technique to match a larger set of configurations and apply it notably to the context of desktop Virtual Reality. With our novel ”Shake-Your-Head ” technique, the user is left with the possibility to sit down, and to use small screens and standard input devices such as a basic webcam for tracking. The locomotion simulation can compute various motions such as turning, jumping and crawling, using as sole input the head movements of the user. We also introduce the use of additional visual feedback based on camera motions to enhance the walking sensations. An experiment was conducted to compare our technique with classical input devices used for navigating in desktop VR. Interestingly, the results showed that our technique could even allow faster navigations when sitting, after a short learning. Our technique was also perceived as more fun and increasing presence, and was generally more appreciated for VR navigation.

Abstract—Immersive spaces such as 4-sided displays with stereo viewing and high-quality tracking provide a very engaging and realistic virtual experience. However, walking is inherently limited by the restricted physical space, both due to the screens (limited translation) and the missing back screen (limited rotation). In this paper, we propose three novel locomotion techniques that have three concurrent goals: keep the user safe from reaching the translational and rotational boundaries; increase the amount of real walking and finally, provide a more enjoyable and ecological interaction paradigm compared to traditional controller-based approaches. We notably introduce the “Virtual Companion”, which uses a small bird to guide the user through VEs larger than the physical space. We evaluate the three new techniques through a user study with travel-to-target and path following tasks. The study provides insight into the relative strengths of each new technique for the three aforementioned goals. Specifically, if speed and accuracy are paramount, traditional controller interfaces augmented with our novel warning techniques may be more appropriate; if physical walking is more important, two of our paradigms (extended Magic Barrier Tape and Constrained Wand) should be preferred; last, fun and ecological criteria would favor the Virtual Companion. Index Terms—Virtual reality, locomotion techniques, walking, restricted workspaces. 1