About avatars and maneuvering in virtual environments

This paper is about the use of avatars and maneuvering in virtual environments for simulation-based design ergonomics. An avatar is a digital human model driven by an instrumented human who is immersed in a virtual environment. A presentation on locomotion devices is followed by descriptions of various studies on maneuvering in a virtual environment by means of hand-held controls and body-mounted sensors, and a brief discussion on further studies and future technology such as I3VR - Intuitive Interactive Immersive Virtual Reality - a technology for interaction of two or more subjects in a wide space through the use of full body avatars and wireless data transmission. Copyright © 2006 SAE International.