Sensation of movement in virtual space

A method in which visual and aural cues were used to give a sense of traversing a distance equal to that in the real space is described, showing that when the visual information included a simulation of the watchman moving just ahead of the trainee, the trainees had the sense of having covered a distance close to the actual distance represented in the simulation.

Abstract

Our objective was to develop a compact system for training watchmen in their rounds, suitable for use on a standard computer. A virtual space was created by means of computer graphics. The most important aspect of learning the watchman's rounds is familiarization with the route, including distances, directions, and visual features. A method in which visual and aural cues were used to give a sense of traversing a distance equal to that in the real space is described. Tests showed that when the visual information included a simulation of the watchman (the “virtual user”) moving just ahead of the trainee and when a slight rolling of the visual field was used to simulate the motion of walking, the trainees had the sense of having covered a distance close to the actual distance represented in the simulation. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 3, 80(6): 74–82, 1997