Comparison of Locomotion Interfaces for Immersive Training Systems

The ability to stay oriented in an environment is an important skill for urban combat. Warriors must systematically clear areas of responsibility while moving tactically, scanning for potential targets, and engaging threats. A locomotion interface for an immersive virtual environment urban combat training system should enable the development of navigational skills. One aspect of navigation is path integration, in which a person estimates current position and orientation along a pathway from velocity and acceleration. Path integration allows people to stay oriented in low visibility or the dark, which is important in many tactical situations. This study compared the performance of three locomotion interfaces on three path integration tasks. Analysis revealed that type of locomotion interface has a significant impact on performance.