Primary supervisor
Rob TeatherMulti-user virtual reality (VR) systems are becoming more common as these head-mounted displays (e.g., Oculus Quest, HTC Vive) become less expensive and thus more widely available. It is now feasible to have multiple users sharing a co-located VR space, and objects in the space. We are interested in developing cross-platform multi-user VR systems, supporting hardware ranging from desktop computers to high-end head-mounted displays (Quest 3), to low-fidelity devices such as Google Cardboard. The latter introduces complex challenges in supporting user interaction in shared VR environments. Google Cardboard and similar low-fi VR products provide a cardboard-based viewer into which the user inserts their smartphone. The smartphone provides pose information, but offers little or no interaction capabilities. In particular, due to the absence of tracked controllers offered with all modern head-mounted displays, common interactions for acquiring and manipulating virtual objects, or moving around in a virtual environment are unavailable. Yet, low-fi devices are an attractive option due to their low-cost offering the ability to bring VR technology to all users across socio-economic boundaries.
Aim/outline
This project focuses on improving interaction in low-fi VR environments. We have previously developed a cardboard controller, tracked using the smartphone's outward facing camera, and evaluated this in common interaction tasks in VR. Our work found that the cardboard controller offers comparable performance to high-fidelity controllers, in constrained use cases. Factors such as the field of view of the smartphone camera impact the tracking quality of the controller. This project will focus on integrating cardboard devices into multi-user environments while improving interaction through enhanced tracking of the cardboard controller, and/or development of controller-less interaction methods (e.g., using camera-based tracking of the user's hands and environment to facilitate reaching and grasping for object, or moving around the environment using natural walking).
URLs/references
https://www.csit.carleton.ca/~rteather/pdfs/TVCG2025_2.pdf
Required knowledge
- Software development and/or hardware (electrical/mechanical) engineering background is necessary
- Some computer graphics background is preferable
- Development experience in Unity or similar game engine preferred
- Experience working with modern VR devices (e.g., Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, etc.)
- Experience conducting user studies and analyzing data (e.g., with statistical methods) beneficial but not required