Classifying 3D Interaction Techniques and Devices for Gaming and Virtual

Abstract

This talk will present a topic we have been discussing in meetings of the Human Interaction in Virtual Environments (HIVE) research group. The basic interaction tasks performed in gaming and virtual environments include 1) object selection, 2) object manipulation, 3) navigation, and 4) system control. A number of methods for classifying techniques for accomplishing these tasks have been devised. As new interface devices are designed, some developers attempt to map old techniques onto these new devices, while some prefer to design novel techniques. This tension between leveraging past user knowledge versus providing techniques that may provide improved efficiency provides fertile ground for conducting user studies.

This talk will present some background on this topic, as well as introduce some of the device categories that help frame the work. It is hoped that the audience will chime in to add constructive comments on this topic.

Robert W. Lindeman joined the Department of Computer Science at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2005. Prior to joining WPI, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at The George Washington University from 1999-2005. He did his doctoral work in the same department from 1993 to 1999, earning the Doctor of Science in 1999. He also holds a B.A. degree (cum laude) in Computer Science from Brandeis University, and a M.S. degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. He is director of the Human Interaction in Virtual Environments (HIVE) lab at WPI, and teaches in the new undergraduate major in Interactive Media and Game Development. Dr. Lindeman is a member of ACM, IEEE, and UPE. Funding for his work has come from NSF, DARPA, ONR, and AOL. He has been a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Sensory Media of the Media Information Sciences Lab of ATR International in Kyoto, Japan, for the summers of 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.