Transcale: Embodied Transition toward Multi-scale Exploration

Abstract

Human scale perception is based on everyday experiences, making it difficult to imagine the world from the perspective of drastically different-sized beings like plankton or whales. However, virtual environments allow for exploration of worlds at various scales. While previous research has focused on replicating the sensation of altered body scales, there has been no clear method for seamlessly transitioning between different scale worlds while maintaining a natural sense of bodily transformation. In response, this study proposes a transition design that allows users to experience changes in body size while preserving the naturalness of their movements. This design aims to provide a sensation of “entering” into worlds of different scales, enhancing the immersive experience of scale transformation. We define this experience as “Transcale”.