LUTE: A Locomotion Usability Test Environmentfor Virtual Reality

Abstract

Locomotion is one of the most basic interactions in virtual reality applications, and many techniques have been developed for moving in virtual environments. However, each technique works well in different scenarios, and is tested and evaluated in different test environments and on different tasks. To date, there has not been a common standard test bed which accommodates long, medium and short distance travel that would support testing and comparing locomotion techniques. This paper describes a novel testing environment for VR locomotion techniques, and explains the parameters that can be manipulated depending on the locomotion technique and the task. It also discusses the other possible attributes that can be included in future versions of the test environment.