Updating Orientation in Large Virtual Environments Using Scaled Translational Gain
Betsy Williams, Gayathri Narasimham, Tim McNamara, Tom Carr, John Rieser, and Bobby Bodenheimer
Symposium on Applied Perception in Graphics and Visualization 2006
Abstract
Navigating through large virtual environments using a head-mounted
display (HMD) is difficult due to the spatial limitations of the
tracking system. We conducted two experiments to examine methods
of exploring large virtual spaces with an HMD under translation
conditions different than normal walking. Experiment~1 compares
locomotion in the virtual environment using two different motor
actions to translate the subject. The study contrasts user
learning and orientation of two different translational gains of
bipedal locomotion (not scaled and scaled by ten) with joystick
locomotion, where rotation in both locomotion interfaces is
accomplished by physically turning. Experiment~2 looks further at
the effects of increasing the translational gain of bipedal
locomotion in a virtual environment. A subject's spatial learning
and orientation were evaluated in three gain conditions where each
physical step was: not scaled, scaled by two, or scaled by ten
(1:1, 2:1, 10:1, respectively). A sub-study of this experiment
compared the performance of people who played video games against
people who did not.
Bobby Bodenheimer 