Entertainment Computing Group

Numerous fail videos show that virtual reality (VR) has its risks - namely, being too immersed in the game  to remember the real environment. Accidents while using VR due to collisions with obstacles, room boundaries or other people are on the rise as private VR hardware becomes more easily available. Safety systems in commercial VR systems are not sufficient in avoiding such accidents, as they depend on correct calibration. As private households often do not offer a large play space, many users trade safety for maximized play space, not correctly setting up the guardian. While some VR games are rather static, others are very dynamic and include changes in the virtual environment. This can lead to disorientation and desynchronization of the user's map of the real versus virtual world. This does not only lead to real-life collisions, but also to fear of colliding.

My research focus lies on the phenomenon of collision anxiety, which can be caused by earlier experiences, VR expertise, loss of orientation, or the application design. While collision anxiety has been implicitly mentioned in works regarding safety systems or movement in VR, there has not been any specific research regarding this topic. Hence, my work includes the development and validation of a questionnaire as well as research in the emergence and effects of collision anxiety in VR.