Towards “Avatar-Friendly” 3D Manipulation Techniques: Bridging the Gap Between Sense of Embodiment and Interaction in Virtual Reality

TLDR

Avatars are ubiquitous in VR, serving as the medium for object manipulation and as the primary spatial reference that shapes user interaction and self‑perception. This review examines how avatars influence 3D object manipulation and the sense of embodiment, outlining practical guidelines for designers and proposing future research directions. The authors analyze avatar effects on manipulation and the role of input, control, and feedback components in shaping embodiment, offering design recommendations and research questions.

Abstract

Avatars, the users' virtual representations, are becoming ubiquitous in virtual reality applications. In this context, the avatar becomes the medium which enables users to manipulate objects in the virtual environment. It also becomes the users' main spatial reference, which can not only alter their interaction with the virtual environment, but also the perception of themselves. In this paper, we review and analyse the current state-of-the-art for 3D object manipulation and the sense of embodiment. Our analysis is twofold. First, we discuss the impact that the avatar can have on object manipulation. Second, we discuss how the different components of a manipulation technique (i.e. input, control and feedback) can influence the user's sense of embodiment. Throughout the analysis, we crystallise our discussion with practical guidelines for VR application designers and we propose several research topics towards "avatar-friendly'' manipulation techniques.