Redirected Walking on Omnidirectional Treadmill

Redirected walking (RDW) and omnidirectional treadmill (ODT) are two effective solutions to the natural locomotion interface in virtual reality. ODT fully compresses the physical space and can be used as the integration carrier of all kinds of devices. However, the user experience varies in different directions of ODT, and the premise of interaction between users and integrated devices is a good match between virtual and real objects. RDW technology uses visual cues to guide the user's location in physical space. Based on this principle, combining RDW technology with ODT to guide the user's walking direction through visual cues can effectively improve user experience on ODT and make full use of various devices integrated on ODT. This paper explores the novel prospects of combining RDW technology with ODT and formally puts forward the concept of O-RDW (ODT-based RDW). Two baseline algorithms, i.e., OS2MD (ODT-based steer to multi-direction), and OS2MT (ODT-based steer to multi-target), are proposed to combine the merits of both RDW and ODT. With the help of the simulation environment, this paper quantitatively analyzes the applicable scenarios of the two algorithms and the influence of several main factors on the performance. Based on the conclusions of the simulation experiments, the two O-RDW algorithms are successfully applied in the practical application case of multi-target haptic feedback. Combined with the user study, the practicability and effectiveness of O-RDW technology in practical use are further verified.