Virtual Space Pointing Based on Vergence

Abstract

Recent virtual reality (VR) headsets make users perceive the three-dimensional (3D) virtual space through their parallax. The 3D space has been used for only passive use such as representing something put into intensive reality. We propose a new manner for pointing objects at specific locations in 3D space through vergence. In order to achieve this new manner, we have paid a close attention to the directions of eyes through parallax. Using the pointing manner, we cannot only drag icons or windows to any locations in 3D space, but also intuitively perform most desktop operations such as pilling up a pop-up menu and pushing a button. Because it is not easy for most people to control their vergence angle as they want, in our pointing manner, we present a feedback system of degree of vergence through an indicator appearing around a pointing cursor. In order to show the effectiveness of our proposal, we have implemented the pointing manner in a VR headset with an eye-tracker, and we have conducted numerical experiments. The experimental results show that our vergence based operations are feasible.