MAVE: Maze‐based immersive virtual environment for new presence and experience

Abstract

AbstractTo provide users with a sense of presence and experience, this study presents a maze‐based immersive virtual environment (MAVE). MAVE consists of a new immersive virtual scene and immersive interaction optimized for such maze. The algorithm for calculating a finite maze is defined to automatically generate diverse maze patterns; an interactive editing function and sketch‐based maze retrieval make it easier to generate maze patterns intuitively. With the integration of these procedures, MAVE proposes a user‐oriented maze terrain authoring system that can reconstruct two‐dimensional maze patterns into three‐dimensional maze terrains. It also provides an interaction system that enables users to be immersed in a broad virtual maze environment within a limited space. As an Arduino‐based portable walking simulator, this system detects the user's steps as he or she walks in place and controls the user's motions in the virtual environment. This study confirms through various technical and statistical experiments that MAVE can lead to new research on immersion enhancement without virtual reality sickness via virtual reality content.