Abstract
We developed haptic enabled widgets for immersive environment: the HapWi concept. It enables task mode switching, and intuitive interaction with a virtual environment. In this paper we present a comparative study of our interaction method and a keyboard based interaction method with locomotion tasks. With our virtual widgets, the user can perform in a immersive environment context as well as with a keyboard (in the same immersive environment), even for a task that is really designed for keyboard users. A study of haptic feedback will demonstrate the need for the user to understand and stabilize his actions in the virtual world and will emphasizes the need to adapt haptic rendering to individual specificity.
