Gesture

Gesture is one of the important elements of body movement for communication. Merriam-Webster defines gesture as “a movement usually of the body or limbs that expresses or emphasizes an idea, sentiment, or attitude.” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gesture) Gestures can be used for directing transportation like airplanes since it’s not easy to verbally direct because of external factors. Also, gestures are body formed symbols for other people to recognize. Gesture is a form of communication among people, but it is potentially a great interaction model for virtual reality as well. The machine detects your gesture and analyzes it like a human. In some applications, your gesture can make meaning to other users like in the real world. As I mentioned in the body movement section, gestures of body parts rely on body movement capture technology. The hardware for gestures can be wearable devices on legs, arms, and even the head itself. Li et al show a device that simulates finger movement called “Cyber Touch” developed by Virtual Technology, and it has “motion vibration and vibration tactile feedback” as well. This device is wearable on fingers, but the only problem is that it adds weight to fingers. Li et al also mentioned sensors that can detect body movement or hand movement. “GestureWrist” was invented by Remimoto Junichi, a researcher dedicated to HCI and AR. The device has acceleration sensors that capture motions without installing anything else on other body parts. “Wii Remote” is another example of a gesture interaction device. It was released in 2006 by Nintendo for its dedicated game console, Wii. Wii will detect the movement of the Wii Remote through infrared rays, and they are connected through Bluetooth.

Virtual reality devices on the market have similar controller styles, although they have different standards and designs. Oculus Quest is one of the most recent devices, and its controller is called Oculus Touch. Oculus Touch makes hand gestures visible in the virtual space. It provides full-motion tracking of the user’s hands with its sensors. HTC Vive is another device for VR application, and its controller supports light tracking, which provides more accurate motion tracking. Like Wii Remote back in 2006, most controllers connect to the head-mounted device with wireless technology like Bluetooth, and the sensors use different sensory technology to detect movement. Other non-dedicated VR devices usually have low tech specs, and some of them use smartphones as screens. These devices’ controllers are looking similar to game controllers, and the controllers need to be paired to smartphones before placing the smartphones into the goggles. Almost all controllers are designed for hands, and there are no other wearable devices. In the near future, we speculate that there will be controllers that free people’s hands. As we mentioned in the last section, there will be sensors like Microsoft Kinect and Leap Motion that can support hands-free interaction.