6 research outputs found
Comparison of Gesture, Gamepad, and Gaze-based Locomotion for VR Worlds
In this paper we present a VR locomotion technique based on the
Leap Motion device and compare it to other often-used locomotion
techniques – gaze-directed locomotion and gamepad-based locomotion.
We performed a user experiment to evaluate the three
techniques based on their performance (time to complete the task),
comfort (through the ISO 9241-9 assessment of comfort questionnaire),
and simulation sickness (through the Simulation Sickness
Questionnaire). Results indicate that the gamepad technique is both
faster and more comfortable than either the Leap Motion-based or
the gaze-directed techniques.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Comparing Hand Gestures and a Gamepad Interface for Locomotion in Virtual Environments
Hand gesture is a new and promising interface for locomotion in virtual
environments. While several previous studies have proposed different hand
gestures for virtual locomotion, little is known about their differences in
terms of performance and user preference in virtual locomotion tasks. In the
present paper, we presented three different hand gesture interfaces and their
algorithms for locomotion, which are called the Finger Distance gesture, the
Finger Number gesture and the Finger Tapping gesture. These gestures were
inspired by previous studies of gesture-based locomotion interfaces and are
typical gestures that people are familiar with in their daily lives.
Implementing these hand gesture interfaces in the present study enabled us to
systematically compare the differences between these gestures. In addition, to
compare the usability of these gestures to locomotion interfaces using
gamepads, we also designed and implemented a gamepad interface based on the
Xbox One controller. We conducted empirical studies to compare these four
interfaces through two virtual locomotion tasks. A desktop setup was used
instead of sharing a head-mounted display among participants due to the concern
of the Covid-19 situation. Through these tasks, we assessed the performance and
user preference of these interfaces on speed control and waypoints navigation.
Results showed that user preference and performance of the Finger Distance
gesture were close to that of the gamepad interface. The Finger Number gesture
also had close performance and user preference to that of the Finger Distance
gesture. Our study demonstrates that the Finger Distance gesture and the Finger
Number gesture are very promising interfaces for virtual locomotion. We also
discuss that the Finger Tapping gesture needs further improvements before it
can be used for virtual walking
Virtual Reality-Based Interface for Advanced Assisted Mobile Robot Teleoperation
[EN] This work proposes a new interface for the teleoperation of mobile robots based on virtual reality that allows a natural and intuitive interaction and cooperation between the human and the robot, which is useful for many situations, such as inspection tasks, the mapping of complex environments, etc. Contrary to previous works, the proposed interface does not seek the realism of the virtual environment but provides all the minimum necessary elements that allow the user to carry out the teleoperation task in a more natural and intuitive way. The teleoperation is carried out in such a way that the human user and the mobile robot cooperate in a synergistic way to properly accomplish the task: the user guides the robot through the environment in order to benefit from the intelligence and adaptability of the human, whereas the robot is able to automatically avoid collisions with the objects in the environment in order to benefit from its fast response. The latter is carried out using the well-known potential field-based navigation method. The efficacy of the proposed method is demonstrated through experimentation with the Turtlebot3 Burger mobile robot in both simulation and real-world scenarios. In addition, usability and presence questionnaires were also conducted with users of different ages and backgrounds to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed approach. In particular, the results of these questionnaires show that the proposed virtual reality based interface is intuitive, ergonomic and easy to use.This research was funded by the Spanish Government (Grant PID2020-117421RB-C21 funded byMCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and by the Generalitat Valenciana (Grant GV/2021/181).Solanes, JE.; Muñoz García, A.; Gracia Calandin, LI.; Tornero Montserrat, J. (2022). Virtual Reality-Based Interface for Advanced Assisted Mobile Robot Teleoperation. Applied Sciences. 12(12):1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12126071122121
Freehand-Steering Locomotion Techniques for Immersive Virtual Environments: A Comparative Evaluation
Virtual reality has achieved significant popularity in recent years, and allowing users to move freely within an immersive virtual world has become an important factor critical to realize. The user’s interactions are generally designed to increase the perceived realism, but the locomotion techniques and how these affect the user’s task performance still represent an open issue, much discussed in the literature. In this article, we evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of, and user preferences relating to, freehand locomotion techniques designed for an immersive virtual environment performed through hand gestures tracked by a sensor placed in the egocentric position and experienced through a head-mounted display. Three freehand locomotion techniques have been implemented and compared with each other, and with a baseline technique based on a controller, through qualitative and quantitative measures. An extensive user study conducted with 60 subjects shows that the proposed methods have a performance comparable to the use of the controller, further revealing the users’ preference for decoupling the locomotion in sub-tasks, even if this means renouncing precision and adapting the interaction to the possibilities of the tracker sensor