Reaching interactions in virtual reality: the effect of movement direction, hand dominance, and hemispace on the kinematic properties of inward and outward reaches

Recent literature has revealed that when users reach to select objects in VR, they can adapt how they move (i.e., the kinematic properties of their reaches) depending on the: (1) direction they move, (2) hand they use, and (3) side of the body where the movement occurs. In the present work, we took a more detailed look at how kinematic properties of reaching movements performed in VR change as a function of movement direction for reaches performed on each side of the body using each hand. We focused on reaches in 12 different directions that either involved moving inward (toward the body midline) or outward (away from the body midline). Twenty users reached in each direction on both left and right sides of their body, using both their dominant and non-dominant hands. The results provided a fine-grained account of how kinematic properties of virtual hand reaches change as a function of movement direction when users reach on either side of their body using either hand. The findings provide practitioners insights on how to interpret the kinematic properties of reaching behaviors in VR, which has applicability in emerging contexts that include detecting VR usability issues and using VR for stroke rehabilitation.