Walking Pad and Gyroscope-Based Object Manipulation for Virtual Reality CAVE

Thanks to the recent advancement in computer hardware and software, the virtual reality is becoming a hot topic, again. It can be utilized in various settings - from entertainment through education and workforce training to a training and assessment of visuospatial cognitive functions. A fully immersive virtual reality experience requires not only high quality stereoscopic graphical output but also input devices that feel natural to use. In this paper we present two cost-effective solutions that try to fulfil this requirement: a low-cost modular walking pad and an application for an Android device, which utilizes the gyroscope of the device to manipulate with objects in a virtual environment. While both solutions have been primarily developed to be used with cave automatic virtual environments, they are also suitable for installations utilizing see-through head-mounted displays or ordinary computer screens.