An intuitive human-computer interface for large display virtual reality applications

The paper presents a human-computer interface (HCI) for natural interaction in the Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). By tracking hand actions and movements with a set of six infra-red (IR) cameras, the proposed HCI allows a user to interact directly with virtual objects in the CAVE without the need to attach any complex electronic tracking devices, such as data-gloves, on the user's hands. An intuitive control scheme based on simple and natural hand gestures, including "grab" and "drop", is developed to demonstrate the strengths of the HCI. A case study of using the HCI to facilitate the simulation of fork-lift truck operations in the CAVE system is presented. Finally, the compatibility and benefits of integrating the HCI with virtual reality (VR) simulation systems in the CAVE are discussed. © 2010 CAD Solutions, LLC.