This paper presents a new locomotion interface that provides users with the ability to engage in a life-like walking experience using stepping in place. Stepping actions are performed on top of a flat platform that has an embedded grid of switch sensors that detect footfalls pressure. Based on data received from sensors, the system can compute different variables that represent user's walking behavior such as walking direction, walking speed, standstill, jump, and walking. The overall platform status is scanned at a rate of 100Hz with which we can deliver real-time visual feedback reaction to user actions. The proposed system is portable and easy to integrate into major virtual environment with large projection feature such as CAVE and DOME systems. The overall weight of the Walking-Pad is less than 5 Kg and can be connected to any computer via USB port, which make it even controllable via a portable computer.

This paper proposes a new approach for adding haptic feedback on a workbench. The integration of a stringed haptic device is discussed.

Abstract The workbench is an interesting semi‐immersive configuration for interactive tasks. However, haptic feedback, i.e.force and tactile feedback, is one important cue which is missing. To the authors' knowledge, the sole proposedsolution consists in installing an arm force feedback device on one‐screen workbenches. This solution, however,has several drawbacks. The arm can perturb the stereoscopic display, cross virtual objects or hide parts of thevisualization space. Furthermore, the interaction space is limited by the size of the arm, which may also damagethe screen or perturb the electromagnetic tracking system. Some of these difficulties may even be worth with a two‐screenworkbench. This paper discusses an alternative solution, which consists in integrating a stringed hapticdevice on a workbench. This approach is less invasive, more flexible and well‐suited to a two‐screen workbench.

This paper presents a new virtual locomotion interface based on step-in-place action and a smart-turntable system. The interface provides a turntable as walking platform, on top of which users will stand at its center, and facing a large screen, to perform life-like walking actions that steer their navigation through the virtual environment. Steering actions are tracked seamlessly without attachment to the body through a set of pressure sensors embedded within the turntable and a computer vision system. For instance, in place stepping is treated as a gesture indicating the intention to move forward. Rotation about the body's vertical axis is treated as a gesture changing the walking direction. However, as large screens are usually limited in size and do not allow a surrounding projection, a large turning action may put users in a visual-less situation, which hamper considerably the effectiveness of the walking experience. To avoid such case and keep users always provided with sufficient visual feedback, the turntable will passively and smoothly rotate in opposite direction of users' turning. Rotation speed and acceleration of the turntable are well optimized to keep users well balanced and easily withstand the passive rotation. The interface is shown to be easy and simple to use in virtual environments equipped with large screen.

Omni-directional locomotion systems are yet of little advantage in virtual environments (VEs) with limited large display systems, where users may experience visual-less situations when they move in a direction that is not covered by the large screen. This paper presents a new omni-directional locomotion interface based on step-in-place movement and a smart-turntable system to impart users with the ability to move freely in any direction within VEs without loosing sight of the displayed image despite its projection on a limited large screen that does not provide surrounding or 360/spl deg/ visual feedback. The novelty of the interface is that: (a) it uses a smart-turntable with embedded sensors as a walking platform that compensate users' rotations rather than their displacements; (b) no cable attachments are made to the user body; and (c) the user can make many full body rotations without loosing sight of the environment, virtually providing a surrounding display despite the use of the limited size screen.

The paper aims to present a new human-scale haptic device for virtual environment named Scaleable-SPIDAR (Space Interface Device for Artificial Reality), which provide to both hands different aspects of force feedback sensations, associated mainly with weight, contact and inertia within a cave-like space. Tensioned string techniques are used to generate such haptic sensations, while keeping the space transparent and unbulky. The device is scaleable so as to enclose different cave-like working space. Scaleable-SPIDAR is coupled with a large screen where a computer generated virtual world is displayed. The used approach is shown to be simple, safe and multi-modal interface for human-scale virtual environment (VE).