User Embodiment Comparison of Semi-Autonomous and Fully-Captured Avatar Movements in Virtual Reality

We describe in this paper a user study in the context of animated virtual human to compare the user self-perception of well known semi-autonomous Avatar and full-body tracked Avatar. We aim at highlighting the advantages and limitations of those methods during various walking phases. The participants walked inside 4 simulated environments with different obstacles. Those results are quantified through a virtual reality sickness questionnaire and a new questionnaire specialized on user perception and enjoyment of his avatar lower part. This study shows positive results for the semi-autonomous Avatar especially in a cluttered environment. The users maintain the same efficiency with both methods, they have no sickness issues after more than 45 minutes inside the simulation and they present better enjoyment results for environment with complex obstacles.