VR-Stepper: A Do-It-Yourself Game Interface For Locomotion In Virtual Environments
This addresses the issue of intuitive interaction for VR users, though it is incremental as it builds on existing locomotion methods with a simpler, cheaper alternative.
The paper tackled the problem of unnatural locomotion in virtual environments by developing a low-cost DIY interface using a sports stepper and Arduino, which was found to be slightly better in immersion and joy of use compared to other interfaces in a user study with 10 participants.
Compared to real world tasks, completing tasks in a virtual environment (VE) seldom involves the whole spectrum of skills the human body offers. User input in a VE is commonly accomplished through simple finger gestures, such as walking in a scene by simply pressing a button, even if this kind of interaction is not very suitable. In order to create a more intuitive and natural interaction, diverse projects try to tackle the problem of locomotion in VEs by trying to enable a natural walking movement, which is also supposed to increase the level of immersion. Existing solutions such as treadmills are still expensive and need additional fixation of the body. In this paper, we describe a simple and inexpensive way to build a useful locomotion interface using a conventional sports stepper and an Arduino. This device enables control in a VE by walking-in-place and without the need for any additional fixation gadgets. We conducted a user study with 10 participants to evaluate the impression on the joy and ease of use, immersion and reliability in comparison to other interfaces used for locomotion, such as the Wii Balance Board and a Wand Joystick. We found out that the stepper is experienced slightly better in terms of immersion and joy of use. Furthermore, found that pressing buttons on a Joystick was perceived to be more reliable.