Physical Hand Interaction for Controlling Multiple Virtual Objects in Virtual Reality

Immersive virtual reality systems often strive to support realistic physical interaction through direct hand control, but it is not often possible to configure the physical environment to exactly match the virtual environment. We study methods that allow physical hand interaction with virtual objects using passive props in scenarios analogous to home-use settings where a user might be seated at a desk or standing at a table. Our approach maps a single physical prop to multiple virtual objects distributed throughout a virtual environment. Leveraging prior work, we explore two adjusted travel techniques to facilitate physically aligning the user with the physical prop when ready to virtually interact with a virtual object: a redirection approach that uses rotational adjustments to gradually align the user during virtual locomotion, and the resetting approach that introduces a discrete rotational update when the user virtually approaches a target for interaction. Additionally, our work explores considerations for using one physical prop to control multiple types of object interactions. We report the results of a controlled study about usability of the two passive-haptic interaction methods as compared to a virtual hand approach without haptics.