In-place natural and effortless navigation for large industrial scenarios

Abstract

Here we address the problem of navigating in virtual environments with fixed display visualizations (e.g. projections and tvs) by using natural gestures. Gesture metaphors have proven to be a powerful tool for human computer interaction. Examples arise from smartphones to state of the art projects like the Holodesk (from Microsoft Research). However, regarding the use of gestures for navigation in virtual environments, a specific limitation arises in respect to the user movimentation in the real space. The gestures should provide the user a way of turning the virtual camera direction without losing the view of the screen. Moreover, the user must be able to move long distances in the virtual environment without trespassing real world boundaries and without becoming fatigued. © 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland.