Wheelchair Basketball

Publication link: https://doi.org/10.5445/IR/1000190071

Description:

The wheelchair basketball environment was designed to be used with the VR Glove Controller by manual wheelchair users who wish to interact with Virtual Reality while also propelling their wheelchairs. The environment features a basketball field with adjustable hoops and utilizes hand tracking, button input, and real-world or joystick-based locomotion. Users can move around in a manual wheelchair, score points by throwing a basketball with their hands, and use button input to enable aim assist or call the ball to their hands.

Design Approach:

We employed a Research through Design approach, co-designing the wheelchair basketball environment with a manual wheelchair user. Our work was structured into distinct phases: At the start, we got acquainted and discussed requirements and ideas for the environment (ideation phase). Next, we engaged in multiple development cycles in which we implemented the environment (implementation phase), and then met to gather feedback (feedback phase). At the end, we discussed and reflected on the overall process and how the bespoke wheelchair basketball environment could be adapted for more general use.

Implications for VR Experience:

By creating an environment that uses hand tracking and button input via the VR Glove Controller, users can engage with the environment and their wheelchair in a natural way. This reduces friction when interacting with VR to support immersion and presence.

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Implementation Note

The environment requires hand tracking and button input, and it is best combined with the   

The source code is available upon reasonable request via mailto:accessvr∂iar.kit.edu.