Immersive scuba diving simulator using virtual reality

We present Amphibian, a simulator to experience scuba diving virtually in a terrestrial setting. Amphibian is novel because it simulates a wider variety of sensations experienced underwater compared with to existing diving simulators that mostly focus on visual and aural displays. Users rest their torso on a motion platform to feel buoyancy. Their outstretched arms and legs are placed in a suspended harness to simulate drag as they swim. An Oculus Rift head-mounted display (HMD) and a pair of headphones delineate the visual and auditory ocean scene. Additional senses simulated in Amphibian are breathing-induced motion, temperature changes, and tactile feedback through various sensors. Twelve experienced divers compared Amphibian to real-life scuba diving. We analyzed the system factors that influenced the users' sense of being there while using our simulator. We present future user interface improvements for enhancing immersion in Virtual reality diving simulators.

Department dc:contributor.department

Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Jain, Dhruv

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Chris Schmandt.

• Program in Media Arts and Sciences ()

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106054

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/106054