Presence-Explorer

Théo Arrouye - Senior Project 2017 ~ Unity VR Project

Presence:

• Definition: Feeling physically present in a non-physical world
• For my study, I attempted to measure this by having participants fill out surveys, as well as observing their physical reactions to virtual occurences

Goals:

1. Replicate natural physics interactions

• ex: Tossing balls around

2. Develop more natural movement mechanic

• ex: Teleporting (commonly used in VR apps) is presence-breaking

• solution: Movement is triggered by holding the Vive Wand's Grip button and moving your arms in a walking motion. You move in the direction that you are looking. Because this somewhat replicates natural walking/running motions, it feels more natural than teleportation.

3. Explore effects of breaks in presence

• ex: The car scene, where the cars are clearly fake and you can be 'run over' without feeling anything

Video:

• Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FmkgcUhGSA
• (shows a version slightly older than what is in the repository)