LocoScooter: Designing a Stationary Scooter-Based Locomotion System for Navigation in Virtual Reality

2026-01-05

arXiv.org

AI Summary

This work proposes a stationary VR locomotion system based on a scooter-like form factor to address the challenge of limited physical space hindering natural walking in virtual reality. The system enables users to simulate realistic riding motions through foot sliding and handlebar steering, leveraging familiar bodily interactions to support embodied navigation. Built with off-the-shelf hardware, the platform is compact, low-cost, and easy to deploy. Empirical evaluation demonstrates that it significantly enhances user immersion, enjoyment, and physical engagement, while maintaining task efficiency and usability comparable to traditional hand controllers, without inducing additional fatigue.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Game Design — Virtual Humans, NPCs and Autonomous Characters
• Computer Vision: Low Level & Physics-based Vision
• Intelligent Robots: Human-Robot Interaction

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Virtualization and resource management in Web systems and infrastructures
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: User modeling and simulation for interactive and conversational systems
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy

Abstract

Virtual locomotion remains a challenge in VR, especially in space-limited environments where room-scale walking is impractical. We present LocoScooter, a low-cost, deployable locomotion interface combining foot-sliding on a compact treadmill with handlebar steering inspired by scooter riding. Built from commodity hardware, it supports embodied navigation through familiar, physically engaging movement. In a within-subject study (N = 14), LocoScooter significantly improved immersion, enjoyment, and bodily involvement over joystick navigation, while maintaining comparable efficiency and usability. Despite higher physical demand, users did not report increased fatigue, suggesting familiar movements can enrich VR navigation.

Problem

• virtual locomotion
• virtual reality
• space-limited environments
• embodied navigation
• VR navigation

Innovation

• virtual locomotion
• embodied navigation
• scooter-based interface
• foot-sliding treadmill
• VR interaction