Investigating the Usability of the Leap Motion Controller : Gesture-Based Interaction with a 3 D Virtual Environment Final Report

The Intelligent Tutoring Group at the University of Canterbury has created a 3D virtual environment for stroke rehabilitation, specifically, training the prospective memory in a safe and familiar setting. This honours project involved the creation of a gesture-based interface via the Leap Motion for navigation and interaction within this environment, in the 3D game creation engine Unity. A study was undertaken in which 30 participants used the Leap Motion to interface with the environment with different modes of interaction and data was gathered from their performance as well as from a questionnaire they completed. Feedback from the study has been positive with many participants claiming this form of control to be more user friendly and intuitive than more traditional devices. The data collected suggests that certain modes of gesture-based navigation and interaction are better suited for interaction with the environment.