Detection Thresholds with Joint Horizontal and Vertical Gains in Redirected Jumping

Abstract

Redirected jumping (RDJ) is a locomotion technique that allows users to explore a virtual space that is larger than the available physical space by imperceptibly manipulating users virtual viewpoints according to different gains. In previous redirected jumping work, different types of gains were imposed separately, without considering the possible interaction effects of horizontal and vertical gains on the jumping distance perception. To figure out how humans perceive distance manipulation when more than one gain is used, in this paper, we explored joint horizontal and vertical gains that manipulate horizontal and vertical distances at the same time during two-legged takeoff jumping in the virtual space. We estimated and analyzed horizontal and vertical detection thresholds by conducting a user study, fitting the data to two-dimensional psychometric functions, and visualizing the fitted 3D plots. We provided quantitative insights into the effects of joint gains on detection thresholds, where the imperceptible range for one gain can be affected by the variation of the other gain. Finally, we designed redirected jumping-based games as applications with joint horizontal and vertical gains and demonstrated the effectiveness of the redirected jumping technique.