Inclination Manipulator This study aims to use the redirected walking technique that makes users of virtual reality systems feel like they are walking on an inclined surface while actually walking on a flat one in a real space. However, when the appearance of the virtual inclination becomes too significant, the absence of rotational force components applied to the body causes a feeling of incongruity. In this paper, we propose a novel technique to effectively manipulate the perception of inclination of a virtual walking surface using haptic cues to complement the rotational force components. Based on this approach, we developed a system to generate the rotational force components by loading a weight at the userxe2x80x99s back, which shifts when the configuration of virtual inclination changes. The experiments conducted using the proposed system verified the feasibility of our approach.

On the Usability of Consumer Locomotion Techniques in Serious Games: Comparing Arm Swinging, Treadmills and WalkinPlace When we refer to locomotion in Virtual Reality (VR) we subtend a vast and variegated number of investigations, solutions and devices coming from both research and industry. Despite this richness, a consolidated methodology for evaluating the many locomotion techniques available is still lacking. The present paper extends a previous work in which authors performed a user studybased comparison between two common locomotion techniques, i.e., Arm Swinging, and an omnidirectional treadmill with a containment ring. In the study, users were engaged in a realistic immersive VR scenario depicting a fire event in a road tunnel. Remaining adherent to the previously defined methodology, the current work widens the comparison to consider two other locomotion methods (keeping results obtained with the former technique above for reference purposes), namely, a different treadmill constraining the user through a topmounted independent support structure, and WalkinPlace, a technique which allows the user to move in the virtual environment by performing a natural marching gesture by exploiting two sensors placed on his or her legs.