Tangiball: Dynamic Embodied Tangible Interaction with a Ball in Virtual Reality

Tangible interaction in virtual reality (VR) is known to offer several benefits. Although using tangible objects as controllers in VR is common, incorporating real-life tangible objects for dynamic embodied interactions is not a well-researched area. To that end, we propose a tangible soccer game system (?Tangiball') in room-scale VR, in which users interact with a tangible ball with their feet in real-time by only seeing its virtual representation inside a head mounted display. Tangiball includes a custom-built transparent tangible ball, inside which motion tracking markers are placed using a custom 3D printed attachment. The uniqueness of the Tangiball lies in the dynamic embodied tangible VR interaction it offers. This paper includes the design decisions and iterations, system details and lessons learned. The results of the pilot testing are promising, as users engaged with the Tangiball effortlessly and intuitively and mentioned that it was playful.