Physical walking for navigation in virtual reality
Physical walking for navigation aids spatial awareness more than other forms of navigation. A greater degree of immersion is achieved through physical walking but, the user’s physical space limits their movement in the virtual space. In this study, we implement the Freeze back-up method and 2:1 turn method by Williams et al. to understand if it helps overcome spatial limitations by redirecting the user away from physical obstacles.
Feature video
Prompt
Walking in VR achieves the highest sense of presence than any other navigation technique but has many constraints​
Implementation
• 4 planes are used to create borders to simulate the physical boundary in the virtual environment.
• The closer the user moves toward the edge, the more opaque the borders get.
• When close enough, the color changes from red to green to indicate the activation of the reset method.
• The user can use the ‘Trigger button’ on the controller to switch between reset methods.
• Gamified task of walking to and petting a bird that promptly flies to the other end of the virtual space.
• The user can switch techniques and repeat the task.
• Bushes are scattered around the path so the user can gauge their progress easily.
• The background of ‘Ilm Park, Weimar’ is used for immersion and aesthetic beauty.
Freeze Backup
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When the user reaches the edge of their physical space, they are directed to move backward till they reach the opposite edge.
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The Virtual environment freezes at this time and the user’s physical movement is not mapped to their virtual movement.
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The user is still allowed to look around for better orientation while moving backward.
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The Virtual environment un-freezes when the user reaches the opposite edge.
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Easy to understand
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High learnability
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Maintains a sense of
orientation in physical space
Pros
Cons
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Involves more walking distance
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Needs more time
2:1 Turn
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When the user reaches the edge of their physical space, they are directed to turn around.
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The Virtual environment is mapped such that, the virtual rotation is twice the user’s physical rotation.
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So, when the user has completed a 180-degree turn in the physical environment, they have turned 360 degrees in the virtual environment.
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Faster
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Higher degree of presence
Pros
Cons
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Takes some time to learn
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The user loses a sense of direction in the physical world
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HMD cable might get tangled due to rotations.
