The Influence of Full-Body Representation on Translation and Curvature Gain

Redirected Walking (RDW) techniques allow users to navigate immersive virtual environments much larger than the available tracking space by natural walking. Whereas several approaches exist, numerous RDW techniques operate by applying gains of different types to the user’s viewport. These gains must remain undetected by the user in order for a RDW technique to support plausible navigation within a virtual environment. The present paper explores the relationship between detection thresholds of redirection gains and the presence of a self-avatar within the virtual environment. In four psychophysical experiments we estimated the thresholds of curvature and translation gain with and without a virtual body. The goal was to evaluate whether a full-body representation has an impact on the detection thresholds of these gains. The results indicate that although the presence of a virtual body does not significantly affect the detectability of these gains, it supports users with the illusion of easier detection. We discuss the possibility of a future combination of full-body representations and redirected walking and if these findings influence the implementation of large virtual environments with immersive virtual body representation.