Studying natural human-computer interaction in immersive virtual reality: A comparison between actions in the peripersonal and in the near-action space

Interacting in immersive virtual reality is a challenging and open issue in human-computer interaction. Here, we describe a system to evaluate the performance of a low-cost setup, which has not the need of wearing devices to manipulate virtual objects. In particular, we consider the Leap Motion device and we assess its performance into two situations: reaching and grasp in the peripersonal space, and in the near-action space, i.e. when a user stays on foot and can move his own arms to reach objects on a desk. We show how these two situations are similar in terms of user performance, thus indicating a possible use of such device in a wide range of reaching tasks in immersive virtual reality.