LLCM-WIP: Low-Latency, Continuous-Motion Walking-in-Place

Walking-in-place techniques for locomotion in virtual environments typically have two problems that impact their usability: system latency (particularly troublesome when starting and stopping locomotion), and the fact that the change in the user's viewpoint may not be smooth and continuous. This paper describes a new WIP interface that improves both latency and the continuity of synthesized locomotion in the virtual environment. By basing the virtual avatar motion on the speed of the user's heel motion while walking in place, we create a direct mapping from foot-motion to locomotion that is responsive, intuitive, and easy to implement. In this paper, we describe the technique, analyze its starting and stopping latency, and provide experimental results on the suppression of false steps and general usability of the system.