Virtual perambulator: a novel interface device for locomotion in virtual environment

Author

Iwata, Hiroo ; Fuji, Takashi

Author_Institution

Inst. of Eng. Mech., Tsukuba Univ., Ibaraki, Japan

fYear

1996

fDate

30 Mar-3 Apr 1996

Firstpage

60

Abstract

Walkthrough simulation is effective for design and presentation of buildings or urban space. The paper presents a method of implementing a new interface device for locomotion in virtual space. The walker wears omni directional sliding devices on the feet, which generate the feel of walking while the position of the walker is fixed in the physical world. A hoop is set around the walker´s waist, by which the position of the walker is limited. The walker can freely change the direction of walking in the hoop. The scene of virtual space is displayed in a head mounted display, corresponding with the motion of the feet and head. Usability of the system is tested by 235 novice users at SIGGRAPH´95. 94% of the participants could walk freely around the virtual space

Keywords

biomechanics; interactive devices; virtual reality; buildings; head mounted display; locomotion; novel interface device; novice users; omni directional sliding devices; urban space; virtual environment; virtual perambulator; virtual space; walkthrough simulation; Displays; Feedback; Haptic interfaces; Legged locomotion; Motion measurement; Space exploration; Space technology; Virtual environment; Virtual prototyping; Virtual reality;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Virtual Reality Annual International Symposium, 1996., Proceedings of the IEEE 1996

Conference_Location

Santa Clara, CA

Print_ISBN

0-8186-7296-X

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/VRAIS.1996.490511

Filename

490511