VE Input Devices

1
VE Input Devices

• Doug Bowman
• (Modified by Sabarish V. Babu)
• Virginia Tech
• Bowman, et al., Chapter 4

2
Goals and Motivation

• Provide practical introduction to the input
  devices used in VEs
• Examine common and state of the art input devices
• look for general trends
• spark creativity
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Discuss how different input devices affect
  interface design

3
Input devices

• Hardware that allows the user to communicate with
  the system
• Input device vs. interaction technique
• Single device can implement many ITs

4
Human-computer interface
User interface software
Input devices
System Software
Output devices
User
5
Human-VE interface
Env. model
Display(s)
Simulation loop -render -check for
events -respond to events -iterate
simulation -get new tracker data
Tracking system
Input device(s)
6
Input device characteristics

• Degrees of Freedom (DOFs) DOF composition
  (integral vs. separable)
• Range of reported values discrete/continuous/hybr
  id
• User action required active/passive/hybrid
• Intended use locator, valuator, choice,
• Frame of reference relative vs. absolute
• Properties sensed position, motion, force,

7
Practical classification system

• Desktop devices
• Tracking devices
• 3D mice
• Special-purpose devices
• Direct human input

8
Desktop devices keyboards

• Chord keyboards1
• Arm-mounted keyboards2
• Soft keyboards (logical devices)

9
Desktop devices 6-DOF devices

• 6 DOFs without tracking
• Often isometric
• Exs SpaceBall, SpaceMouse, SpaceOrb

10
Tracking physical objects (props)
11
Tracking devices eye tracking
12
Tracking devices pinch gloves

• Conductive cloth at fingertips
• Any gesture of 2 to 10 fingers, plus combinations
  of gestures
• gt 115,000 gestures

13
Pinch Gloves for menus

• TULIP system14
• ND hand selects menu, D hand selects item within
  menu
• Limited to comfortable gestures
• Visual feedback on virtual hands

14
3D mice

• Ring Mouse
• Fly Mouse
• Wand
• Cubic Mouse
• Dragonfly

15
Special-purpose devices using conductive cloth

• Virtual toolbelt
• Used to select virtual tools
• Good use of proprioceptive cues
• Interaction slippers3
• Step on displayed options
• Click heels to go home

16
Special-purpose devices Painting Table4
17
Special-purpose devices ShapeTape11
18
Human input speech

• Frees hands
• Allows multimodal input
• No special hardware
• Specialized software
• Issues recognition, ambient noise, training,
  false positives,

19
Human input Bioelectric Control
20
Human input Body Sensing Devices
21
More human input

• Breathing device - OSMOSE
• Brain-body actuated control
• muscle movements
• thoughts!

22
Locomotion devices

• Treadmills
• Stationary cycles
• VMC / magic carpet
• Walking/flying simulations (use trackers)

23
UNIPORT

• First Locomotion Device For U.S. Army (1994)
• Proof-of-concept demonstration
• Developed in six weeks
• Difficult to change direction of travel
• Small motions such as side-stepping are impossible

24
Treadport

• Developed in 1995
• Based on a standard treadmill with the user being
  monitored and constrained by mechanical
  attachment to the users waist
• User actually walks or jogs instead of pedaling
• Physical movement is constrained to one direction

25
Individual Soldier Mobility Simulator (Biport)

• Most sophisticated locomotion device
• Designed for the conduct of locomotion studies
• Hydraulic-based locomotion driven w/ force
  sensors at the feet
• Safeguards limited responsiveness
• Too awkward to operate

26
Omni-Directional Treadmill15,16

• Most recently developed locomotion device for
  U.S. Army
• Revolutionary device that enables bipedal
  locomotion in any direction of travel
• Consists of two perpendicular treadmills
• Two fundamental types of movement
• User initiated movement
• System initiated movement

27
Torus treadmill
28
Virtual Motion Controller17

• Weight sensors in platform sense users position
  over platform
• Step in direction to move that direction
• Step further to go faster

29
Walking in place18,19

• Analyze tracker information from head, body, feet
• Neural network (Slater)
• GAITER project (Templeman)
• Shown to be better than purely virtual movement,
  but worse than real walking20

30
Classification of locomotion devices/techniques
31
Input and output with a single device

• Classic example - touch screen
• LCD tablets or PDAs with pen-based input
• Phantom haptic device
• FEELEX haptic device21

32
PDA as ideal VE device?22

• Offers both input and output
• Has on-board memory
• Wireless communication
• Portable, light, robust
• Allows text / number input
• Can be tracked to allow spatial input

33
Conclusions

• When choosing a device, consider
• Cost
• Generality
• DOFs
• Ergonomics / human factors
• Typical scenarios of use
• Output devices
• Interaction techniques

34
Acknowledgments

• Doug Bowman, Virginia Tech, Center for
  Human-Computer Interaction
• Joe LaViola, Brown University, for slides and
  discussions
• Ron Spencer, presentation on locomotion devices
  used by the Army

35
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