Body coherence in curved-space virtual reality games

TL;DR

This paper addresses the challenge of maintaining body coherence in curved-space virtual reality games, proposing solutions to ensure consistent visual and tactile experiences for players in such simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to preserve body coherence in curved-space VR, tackling geometric issues and enhancing interactive experiences in curved environments.

Findings

Proposed a method to track hands and head consistently in curved space

Resolved holonomy effects to prevent body coherence violations

Enhanced understanding of visualization and mental models in curved-space VR

Abstract

Virtual-reality simulations of curved space are most effective and most fun when presented as a game (for example, curved-space billiards), so the user not only has something to see in the curved space, but also has something fun to do there. However, such simulations encounter a geometrical problem: they must track the player's hands as well as her head, and in curved space the effects of holonomy would quickly lead to violations of "body coherence". That is, what the player sees with her eyes would disagree with what she feels with her hands. This article presents a solution to the body coherence problem, as well as several other questions that arise in interactive VR simulations in curved space (radians vs. meters, visualization of the projection transformation, native-inhabitant view vs. tourist view, and mental models of curved space).