Evaluating an In-Hand Ball-Shaped Controller for Object Manipulation in Virtual Reality

The ball-shaped device is considered an intuitive means for 3D interaction, but its effectiveness in object manipulation has not been fully explored yet. In this study, we explored the use of an in-hand ball-shaped controller for object manipulation in virtual reality. We developed a ball-shaped controller with pressure-sensing capabilities featuring specifically designed interactions for object manipulation, including selection, translation, rotation, and scaling. Evaluations are conducted on 6-DOF docking tasks involving translation and rotation, and on 7-DOF tasks that additionally include scaling. These tasks involved manipulating objects at both close and distant ranges. The results indicated that, while the performance of the ball-shaped controller for direct object manipulation was comparable to other methods, it significantly improved completion times and reduced task load for distant object manipulation. Furthermore, the ball-shaped controller effectively reduced wrist and arm movements and is the most preferred method.