May The Force be With You: Cloning Distant Objects to Improve Medium-Field Interactions in Augmented Reality

Danish Nisar Ahmed Tamboli, Rohith Venkatakrishnan, Roshan Venkatakrishnan, Balagopal Raveendranath, Julia Woodward, Isaac Wang, Jesse Smith, Jaime Ruiz

Abstract: Augmented Reality (AR) interactions feature users interacting with virtual objects registered in the physical world. With contemporary AR experiences increasingly featuring interactions at distances, we conceptualized The Force, a technique that allows users to clone distant objects and manipulate their replicas. An empirical evaluation was conducted, comparing it against two well-established techniques including controller-based ray-casting and a gaze-based pinching technique in a pick-and-place task. We employed a within-subjects design, collecting data on both objective performance and subjective user experience. Results suggest that The Force allows for higher levels of accuracy and efficiency in medium-field tasks that require precision and fine motor control. Furthermore, we discovered avenues towards iteratively refining this technique. We go on to discuss the implications of our findings in an effort to facilitate better interactions in augmented reality.

External IDs:dblp:conf/vr/TamboliVVRWWSR25