Towards Applied Remapped Physical-Virtual Interfaces: Synchronization Methods for Resolving Control State Conflicts

User interfaces in virtual reality enable diverse interactions within the virtual world, though they typically lack the haptic cues provided by physical interface controls. Haptic retargeting enables flexible mapping between dynamic virtual interfaces and physical controls to provide real haptic feedback. This investigation aims to extend these remapped interfaces to support more diverse control types. Many interfaces incorporate sliders, switches, and knobs. These controls hold fixed states between interactions creating potential conflicts where a virtual control has a different state from the physical control. This paper presents two methods, “manual” and “automatic”, for synchronizing physical and virtual control states and explores the effects of these methods on the usability of remapped interfaces. Results showed that interfaces without retargeting were the ideal configuration, but they lack the flexibility that remapped interfaces provide. Automatic synchronization was faster and more usable; however, manual synchronization is suitable for a broader range of physical interfaces.