One of the fundamental aspects of exploring a virtual environment (VE) is the ability to move around in it, known as “locomotion”. While the current industry standard for locomotion in VR is teleportation, free walking is the most intuitive method. The biggest challenge in free walking is the spatial limitation of the physically available space.
“Redirected walking” (RDW) can offer a solution here if real walking is desired but only limited space is available. With RDW, the user is controlled by subtle visual manipulations in the virtual environment to compress a larger virtual environment into a smaller physical space. However, there is currently limited evidence on how RDW affects users’ cognitive performance. This understanding would be particularly helpful in scenarios such as training simulations, where intuitive and natural movements are important for the transfer of knowledge into the real world.
The aim of this project is to assess the feasibility of RDW as a locomotion technique that could provide the same benefits as real walking in terms of cognitive performance while being used in a confined physical space. The results will provide a set of guidelines to help decide on a method of locomotion, especially when users’ cognitive performance is important, such as spatial awareness in a training simulation and memory in learning.
Project Data
| Project Type | Research |
| Duration | 01.12.2023-01.12.2025 |
| Funding | Hasler |
| Project Team | Anh Nguyen, Markus Zank, Carolin Reichherzer, Michelle Meyer |