Marco Moran-Ledesma, a System Design Engineering Master's student, will be presenting a poster at the Inter-University Workshop (IUW) at the University of Toronto, Nov. 17. In this poster, he outlines his preliminary research on a system he proposes to improve the VR experience.
Virtual Reality (VR) represents the potential for stepping into realistic, computer-generated three-dimensional virtual worlds, but the most recent technology provides haptic input through hand-held controllers. This means that users do not have realistic interactions with virtual objects: if you can't touch or hold objects with your hands and fingers, how realistic is the overall VR experience?
Moran-Ledesma explores how integrating 3D printed models with low-priced micro-electromechanical sensors and affordable single-board computers enables more physical-like interaction with virtual objects in VR. He proposes that the integration of these three technologies into a system will enhance the realism of VR experiences:
In the short-term, I will explore the design space of 3D printed objects in VR by incorporating sensors into 3D printed models and testing their viability as controllers. In the long-term, I intend to provide a design vocabulary of 3D-printed widgets for use in VR so that designers and researchers can build systems that leverage hand and finger interaction in virtual worlds.
- Marco Moran-Ledesma