The CAT for efficient 2D and 3D interaction as an alternative to mouse adaptations

Abstract

We present the first usable prototype of the CAT (Control Action Table). The CAT is a 6 degree of freedom freestanding device, mixing isotonic and isometric sensing modes. It allows a group of users to interact with virtual environments by means of 3D and 2D interaction techniques. The innovating design of the CAT unifies the principle advantages of existing input devices while rejecting their main limitations. We present the resulting characteristics and compare the CAT to existing input devices. A 3D docking task experiment and a demo application have shown that the CAT can be used more efficiently than an 3D isometric desktop device and that the users preferred the CAT. The CAT is contributing to the development of real VR applications.