The VR Scooter: Wind and Tactile Feedback Improve User Performance

We present an experiment using the VR scooter in an Immersive Virtual Environment (IVE). The scooter is used for traveling naturally and easily in large scale Virtual Environments. Vibrotactile tactors are mounted on the VR scooter to simulate motion speed, and a fan is used to simulate wind blowing when the VR scooter is in motion. We compared user performance (time to complete a task) with and without the tactors and fan, and we observed reduced time with these additions. While they were originally designed to make the experience more realistic and convincing, we found that they also improved user performance.