Dynamic decomposition and integration of degrees of freedom for 3-D positioning

In this paper we present a new interaction technique based on degrees of freedom (DoF) decomposition for accurate positioning in virtual reality environments. This technique (called DIOD for Decomposition and Integration Of Degrees of freedom) is based on an adaptation of the Two-Component Model. It provides two different control levels regarding DoF coordination, one integrating and one separating the manipulation of the DoF. Our hypothesis is that each control level is appropriated to a different phase of the positioning task. During the ballistic phase, users manipulate all the dimensions of the task at the same time. However, during the control phase, users try to manipulate specific dimensions individually. The results of a preliminary study we conducted seem to indicate that the DIOD technique is more efficient than existing techniques.