Rock or Roll – Locomotion Techniques with a Handheld Spherical Device in Virtual Reality

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Abstract
We investigate the use of a handheld spherical object as a controller for locomotion in VR. Rotating the object controls avatar movement in two different ways: As a zero order controller, it is continuously rotated to the target position as if rolling a ball on the floor. As a first order controller, it is tilted like a joystick to determine the direction and speed of movement. We describe how our prototype was built from low-cost commercially available hardware and discuss our design decisions. Then we evaluate both locomotion techniques in a user study (N=20) and compare them to established methods using handheld VR controllers. Our prototype matched and in some cases outperformed these methods regarding task time and accuracy. All results were obtained without any usage instructions, indicating easy learnability. Some of our insights may transfer to interaction with other naturally shaped objects in VR experiences.

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