ALCOVE: design and implementation of an object-centric virtual environment

Abstract

We present a new interaction metaphor for object-centric tasks in the form of a prototype VR system, ALCOVE. Through analytic calculations, we quantitatively demonstrate the benefits of restructuring the interaction volume offered by current systems. Our metrics show that many applications' interaction volume increases by 1.5 to 2.6 times when using the ALCOVE system. We also offer an informal user task analysis and evaluations of previous VR systems that qualitatively support this improved interaction volume as well as demonstrate the need for a shift from room and desk-sized systems to desktop units. We present some testbed applications which benefit from this object-centric design and discuss some of the advantages and shortcomings of our system.