Assessment of the Wiimote as a Tangible User Interface for Interactive Virtual Environments

Complex architectural artifacts and industrial systems are increasingly being designed with the help of virtual prototypes. In these virtual environments users can interact with specific features of a simulation to evaluate functional aspects or learn complex operations before system construction or while unaccessible. A key issue for a virtual prototype-based design cycle is the possibility to easily interact with the simulated system to trigger specific functions regardless of the limited technical skills of the user. In this paper, the potential of the Nintendo Wiimote device programmed as a tangible interface to navigate and interact in virtual environments has been assessed in a user study involving multiple subjects. Results with basic 2D point-and-click and select-drag-and-drop tasks, as well as in 3D navigation and interaction scenarios, have shown the effectiveness and reliability of the Wiimote-based interaction. Moreover, the interface was perceived by the subjects as intuitive, not complicated, and requiring little mental effort.