Exploring Seated Locomotion Techniques in Virtual Reality for People with Limited Mobility

Marlene Huber, Marlene Huber, Simon Kloiber, Annalena Ulschmid, Agata Marta Soccini, Alessandro Clocchiatti, Hannes Kaufmann, Katharina Krösl

2025

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) is often designed as a standing experience, excluding individuals with limited mobility. Given that a significant portion of the population experiences lower-body mobility restrictions, accessible VR locomotion must accommodate users without requiring lower-body movement. To build a comprehensive understanding of suitable locomotion techniques (LTs) for this demographic, it is crucial to evaluate the feasibility of various approaches in virtual environments (VEs). As a starting point, we present our evaluation approach and a user study on the feasibility and potential of selected LTs for accessible seated locomotion in VR. Our findings indicate that common LTs can be adapted for seated stationary VR. Teleportation-based techniques, in particular, stand out as viable options for accessible locomotion. Although our simulated wheelchair was less popular with non-disabled participants, it was well-received by wheelchair users and shows promise as an intuitive LT for this target group.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Huber M., Kloiber S., Ulschmid A., Soccini A., Clocchiatti A., Kaufmann H. and Krösl K. (2025). Exploring Seated Locomotion Techniques in Virtual Reality for People with Limited Mobility. In Proceedings of the 20th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications - Volume 1: GRAPP; ISBN 978-989-758-728-3, SciTePress, pages 161-173. DOI: 10.5220/0013305000003912

in Bibtex Style

@conference{grapp25,
author={Marlene Huber and Simon Kloiber and Annalena Ulschmid and Agata Soccini and Alessandro Clocchiatti and Hannes Kaufmann and Katharina Krösl},
title={Exploring Seated Locomotion Techniques in Virtual Reality for People with Limited Mobility},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 20th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications - Volume 1: GRAPP},
year={2025},
pages={161-173},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013305000003912},
isbn={978-989-758-728-3},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 20th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications - Volume 1: GRAPP
TI - Exploring Seated Locomotion Techniques in Virtual Reality for People with Limited Mobility
SN - 978-989-758-728-3
AU - Huber M.
AU - Kloiber S.
AU - Ulschmid A.
AU - Soccini A.
AU - Clocchiatti A.
AU - Kaufmann H.
AU - Krösl K.
PY - 2025
SP - 161
EP - 173
DO - 10.5220/0013305000003912
PB - SciTePress