Mental representations of geographic space are based on knowledge of spatial elements and the spatial relation between these elements. Acquiring such mental representations of space requires assessing distances between pairs of spatial elements. In virtual reality (VR) applications, locomotion techniques based on real-world movement are constrained by the size of the available room and the used room scale tracking system. Therefore, many VR applications use additional locomotion techniques such as artificial locomotion (continuous forward movement) or teleporting (“jumping” from one location to another). These locomotion techniques move the user through virtual space based on controller input. However, it has not yet been investigated how different established controller-based locomotion techniques affect distance estimations in VR. In an experiment, we compared distance estimations between artificial locomotion and teleportation before and after a training phase. The results showed that distance estimations in both locomotion conditions improved after the training. Additionally, distance estimations were found to be more accurate when teleportation locomotion was used.

Abstract. Modern Virtual Reality (VR) applications often use artificial locomotion to allow users to travel distances within VR space that exceed the available space used to transfer real-world and real-time motion into the virtual environment. The locomotion speed is usually not fixed and can be selected dynamically by the user. Due to motion adaptation effects, variations of locomotion speed could affect how distances in VR are perceived. In the context of cartographic VR applications aimed to experience and communicate spatial information, such effects on distance perception could be problematic, because they might lead to distortions in cognitive representations of space acquired via interaction with VR environments. By conducting a VR-based distance estimation study, we demonstrate how changes of artificial locomotion speed affect distance estimations in VR. Increasing locomotion speeds after letting users adapt to a lower locomotion speed led to lower distance estimations and decreasing locomotion speeds led to higher distance estimations. These findings should sensitize VR developers to consider the choice of applied locomotion techniques when a developed VR application is supposed to communicate distance information or to support the acquisition of a cognitive representation of geographic space.