Effect of Sense of Embodiment on Curvature Redirected Walking Thresholds

Redirected walking (RDW) allows users to explore a virtual environment larger than the physical tracking space by real walking. When RDW is applied within certain thresholds, users do not notice it and remain immersed in the virtual environment. There are many factors that affect these thresholds such as walking speed, gender, and field of view. However, redirected walking thresholds (RDTs) were never studied when an avatar is present, and it is not known how the sense of embodiment over this avatar affects users’ RDTs. In this paper, we present an experiment to investigate the effect of sense of embodiment (SoE) of an avatar on curvature RDTs. The SoE was manipulated by changing perspective as well as sensorimotor congruency and subjectively assessed using an SoE questionnaire. Results showed perspective and movement congruency have significant effects on the SoE, and that agency, which is a central component of embodiment, has a negative effect on curvature RDTs. Moreover, existing results on gender effects on RDTs were also reconfirmed.