Proxy Importance Based Haptic Retargeting With Multiple Props in VR.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality
• Haptics

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) enhances immersion with passive haptic feedback using real-world props.
• Haptic retargeting aligns virtual and real hands but can require disruptive resets due to large offsets.
• Excessive resets in haptic retargeting diminish user immersion in VR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a new haptic retargeting method for VR that minimizes resets and enhances user experience.
• To introduce and apply the concept of 'proxy importance' for effective prop management in VR.
• To optimize haptic retargeting for both single-user and multi-user collaborative VR scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Developed a haptic retargeting approach based on calculating proxy importance for real-world props.
• Implemented a prop selection and placement strategy driven by proxy importance for moving virtual objects.
• Introduced a weighted proxy importance strategy to enhance performance in multi-user VR collaboration.

Main Results:

• Significantly reduced the number of resets required during haptic retargeting operations.
• Decreased task completion time, hand movement distances, and overall task load for users.
• Achieved these improvements without inducing cybersickness in single-user tasks.
• Demonstrated significant performance gains in multi-user collaborative tasks through weighted proxy importance.

Conclusions:

• The proposed proxy importance-based haptic retargeting method effectively reduces resets and improves VR interaction efficiency.
• This approach enhances user immersion and task performance in both individual and collaborative VR environments.
• Weighted proxy importance offers a scalable solution for optimizing multi-user haptic interactions in VR.