Optimising for holistic VR interaction.

Green, Corrie

Abstract

This thesis aims to understand the limitations of human perception to develop egalitarian, accessible interface solutions designed specifically for virtual reality (VR) environments. The added dimension provided by VR has presented unique challenges for developers during interaction and interface design. Existing 2D interface design philosophies do not necessarily translate directly to VR, such as the use of a VR laser pointer for ray interaction, which is designed to that of a traditional cursor. It was discovered by integrating the 1-Euro Filter for ray-based interaction in VR, we can reduce task completion time by mitigating the effects of benign essential tremors. In this, we place a low-pass filter between the user's real-world motion and their virtual input. The study highlighted the necessity for a filter to accommodate Fitts' Law, demonstrating that as interaction distance increases, so does completion time. By exploiting our proprioception ability, the creation of the modular 3D interface was then developed and studied through an iterative, accessible first design process. Informed by human ergonomics and anthropometrics, the interface is designed from the ground up to support integration of current and future input modalities such as eye-tracking, voice, and brain-computer interfaces. Striving to empower user preference over developer discretion. Review of optimisation stages in the VR render pipeline reveals the constraints imposed by current head mounted display (HMD) and lens technologies. Highlighting the necessity for developers to exploit flaws in the human optical system to produce a seamless visual experience in VR while being bound by processing hardware constraints. From this, the introduction of a novel addition to the pipeline is made. 'Frameless Eye-tracked Foveated Rendering,' where we leverage eye-tracking technology further with frameless rendering.

Citation

GREEN, C. 2024. Optimising for holistic VR interaction. Robert Gordon University, PhD thesis. Hosted on OpenAIR [online]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.48526/rgu-wt-2565290

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Nov 1, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 1, 2024
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.48526/rgu-wt-2565290
• Keywords: Virtual reality (VR); Accessibility; Human computer interaction (HCI)
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2565290
• Award Date: May 31, 2024