Special Issue Image Technology of Next Generation. An Operator Assistance Method for An Object Placement Task in a Virtual Environment.

Because vitrual reality techniques can be used to provide an intuitive user interface using human spatial perception, they are promising methods for implementing a sophisticated user interface. Limitations in computational power, however, make it difficult to present a perfect virtual environment, and a simple task in a real environment therefore often becomes a skilled operation in a virtual environment. This paper describes a method enabling an operator in a virtual environment to place an object on a surface without any force-feedback tool. When a grabbed object comes to close to another object, it is attached. Experimental results show that the method is efficient in decreasing the time required for object placement when precise placement necessary.