Where's My Drink? Enabling Peripheral Real World Interactions While Using HMDs
This addresses usability issues for VR users, but is incremental as it builds on existing mixed reality concepts.
The paper tackled the problem of performing simple physical tasks like drinking while using HMDs in virtual reality by exploring mixed reality renderings that incorporate the physical world into the virtual world, and conducted a user study comparing four rendering techniques to balance immersion with ease of interaction.
Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) allow users to experience virtual reality with a great level of immersion. However, even simple physical tasks like drinking a beverage can be difficult and awkward while in a virtual reality experience. We explore mixed reality renderings that selectively incorporate the physical world into the virtual world for interactions with physical objects. We conducted a user study comparing four rendering techniques that balances immersion in a virtual world with ease of interaction with the physical world. Finally, we discuss the pros and cons of each approach, suggesting guidelines for future rendering techniques that bring physical objects into virtual reality.