Literature review of locomotion techniques in virtual reality

Abstract

This study represents a systematic literature review in which we explored the locomotion techniques in virtual reality between 2012 and 2019. We analysed and compared 22 locomotion methods that we have identified in 26 papers included in our review. The objective is to better understand relevant locomotion techniques and their impact on the user experience. The review of the literature has shown a wide range of different locomotion techniques which each technique is characterized by different advantages and drawbacks, but classic locomotion techniques such as joystick outperformed all the proposed technique in the reviewed studies. We also proposed a taxonomy and two types of evaluation for locomotion techniques in virtual environment. These elements provide guidelines that may help researchers to choose the most adapted locomotion technique according to the aim of their study.After the first stage of research based on the article's abstracts, 61 papers were deemed relevant. After the second stage, 26 articles were selected and included in our study.

Locomotion Vault: the Extra Mile in Analyzing VR Locomotion Techniques

“…Nilsson et al [20] employed the two previously-proposed LT distinctions to create a taxonomy based on three orthogonal dimensions: (i) whether the user is stationary or performs physical movement (user mobility, as proposed by [6,28]), (ii) whether the technique involves a virtual vehicles or not (source of virtual motion), and (iii) whether the techniques qualify as mundane or magical (metaphor plausibility, as proposed by [23]). Cherni et al [10] proposed a taxonomy to distinguish three main categories of LTs according to whether they were centered on the user body, external peripheral device, or both. The body-centered techniques were further divided into leaning vs. stepping LTs, while the peripheral LTs were subdivided into semi-natural vs. non-natural techniques.…”

“…Existing review papers mainly rely on academic publications in their analysis and rarely consider the rapidly growing number of techniques that are proposed by the industry practitioners. As an example, Cherni et al [10] observed that the majority of the techniques utilized the leaning-based subdivision of the user body-centered category in their taxonomy. The high frequency of leaning-based LTs is likely due to the choice of focusing on scientifc literature, which does not necessarily refect user preference and mass adoption.…”

“…Cherni et al [10] analyzed advantages and drawbacks of 22 scientifc papers using a set of nine criteria. Five of these attributes coincided with the ones from [8] (precision, ease of use, spatial orientation, presence, and motion sickness), whereas the other four were new: tiredness, self-motion sensation (i.e., illusion of controlling the movement), adaptation for large virtual environments, and adaptation for virtual reality interactions.…”

A Study of Physical Fitness and Enjoyment on Virtual Running for Exergames

“…Cherni et al [29] explored locomotion techniques in VR between 2012 and 2019. Several studies applied body motion for locomotion to enhance spatial perception and user experience, which increases the sensation of one's own selfmotion.…”

Ready, trainer … one*! discovering the entanglement of adaptive learning with virtual reality in industrial training: a case study

“…They might not have the necessary infrastructure in place to properly embrace the VR-based training. However, it is worth highlighting that despite technological, pedagogical, and organisational challenges, VR based training has gained a keen interest in both educational and industrial communities (Chien et al, 2020;Dubovi et al, 2017;Gao et al, 2019;Virvou & Katsionis, 2008) and several studies have proposed solutions to effectively tackle these challenges (Cherni et al, 2020;Mikropoulos & Natsis, 2011;Qin et al, 2010). From a VR system design standpoint, the relationship between learning content and choice of design elements plays a central role in supporting VR-based learning (Radianti et al, 2020), providing a detailed overview of suitable design elements, such as moving around and realistic surrounding to train for procedural practical knowledge.…”