ArmTouch: The Forearm as Touchpad for VR Control

Abstract

Interacting with elements inside a virtual reality (VR) experience is usually done with a controller. However, they tend to be clunky and cumbersome to use. We designed an alternative controller that allows for a rich touch interaction. Our prototype uses the forearm for touch input in VR. The forearm is easy to find through proprioception and also displayed through the HMD. We implemented two versions, one using a touchpad mounted at the forearm and one where the input is realized through touching only the skin of one’s arm. Users can select items of different menu types and through different gestures. A user study showed that both concepts show good usability, but none of the two touch mechanisms was preferred over the other.