Informed design for virtual environments: the impact on object shape on reaching performance

Locating objects in virtual space is not the same as locating them in physical space. The visual properties of the virtual object can affect the perception of its spatial location, and hence the ability to accurately co- locate the hand and the object. This paper presents an investigation into the effects of object geometry and proximity brightness cues on the time-to-target of a virtual reality reaching and grasping task. Time-to-target was significantly affected by object geometry, but not by brightness cues. We conclude that object geometry need to carefully considered for applications where accurate co-location of hand and object are important.