Redirected Touching: Training and Adaptation in Warped Virtual Spaces.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality
• Haptics

Background:

• Redirected touching warps virtual space to map multiple virtual objects onto a single real object, acting as a passive haptic prop.
• Previous research indicated that such spatial mapping is often unnoticeable and minimally impacts task performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of training and adaptation on a rapid aiming task within real, unwarped virtual, and warped virtual environments.
• To assess user adaptation to warped virtual spaces and compare training effectiveness across different environments.

Main Methods:

• A rapid aiming task was performed by participants in three conditions: a real environment, an unwarped virtual environment, and a warped virtual environment.
• Data were collected on task performance and subjective user experience, focusing on adaptation to the warped virtual space.

Main Results:

• Participants reported an initial unusual sensation in the warped virtual space but adapted quickly with repeated, short exposures.
• All virtual training modalities were less effective than real-world training.
• Following adaptation, performance in the warped virtual environment was comparable to that in the unwarped virtual environment.

Conclusions:

• Users can adapt to redirected touching, enabling effective training in warped virtual environments.
• While real-world training remains optimal, adapted virtual reality training in warped spaces offers a viable alternative comparable to unwarped virtual training.