Joyman: A human-scale joystick for navigating in virtual worlds

In this paper, we propose a novel interface called Joyman, designed for immersive locomotion in virtual environments. Whereas many previous interfaces preserve or stimulate the users proprioception, the Joyman aims at preserving equilibrioception in order to improve the feeling of immersion during virtual locomotion tasks. The proposed interface is based on the metaphor of a human-scale joystick. The device has a simple mechanical design that allows a user to indicate his virtual navigation intentions by leaning accordingly. We also propose a control law inspired by the biomechanics of the human locomotion to transform the measured leaning angle into a walking direction and speed - i.e., a virtual velocity vector. A preliminary evaluation was conducted in order to evaluate the advantages and drawbacks of the proposed interface and to better draw the future expectations of such a device.