Neowand: A New Device and Paradigms for Immersive Interactions

Natural interactions within immersive environments have been restricted by the limited degree of interaction provided by existing software and mechanical devices for mediating this interface. Furthermore, this interaction has typically depended on techniques that assume 20Hz+ frame-rates. These techniques then suffer from the real-world vagaries of constantly changing frame-rates, and sensor latency that may range from 1Hz to 60Hz. This paper describes both a new set of paradigms for picking, navigating, manipulating and editing objects within an immersive environment and a new device custom-designed for such use. Additionally, this paper describes a technique for ensuring interaction with immersive environments at human-rates (20Hz+) that are independent of scene complexity and most hardware. Finally, this paper describes early results of comparing these new techniques against other practices.