GradualReality: Enhancing Physical Object Interaction in Virtual Reality via Interaction State-Aware Blending

We present GradualReality, a novel interface enabling a Cross Reality experience that includes gradual interaction with physical objects in a virtual environment and supports both presence and usability. Daily Cross Reality interaction is challenging as the user’s physical object interaction state is continuously changing over time, causing their attention to frequently shift between the virtual and physical worlds. As such, presence in the virtual environment and seamless usability for interacting with physical objects should be maintained at a high level. To address this issue, we present an Interaction State-Aware Blending approach that (i) balances immersion and interaction capability and (ii) provides a fine-grained, gradual transition between virtual and physical worlds. The key idea includes categorizing the flow of physical object interaction into multiple states and designing novel blending methods that offer optimal presence and sufficient physical awareness at each state. We performed extensive user studies and interviews with a working prototype and demonstrated that GradualReality provides better Cross Reality experiences compared to baselines.