AmplifiedTeacup: Trajectory design for a VR teacup experience using an HMD and electric wheelchair with applied small disk rotation

Abstract

In recent years, immersive VR ride experiences have been developed by combining electric wheelchairs, used as motion platforms (MPs), with virtual reality (VR) content through head-mounted displays (HMDs). This study focused on trajectory design particularly when small disk rotation was applied in a VR teacup ride, and examined the requirements through two experiments. Experiment 1 showed that adding translational motion improved consistency and self-motion compared with rotation-only or stationary conditions. Experiment 2 found that reversed trajectories at full speed increased discomfort, while halving translational speed mitigated these effects regardless of direction. These results suggest that carefully adjusted translational motion reduces physical displacement while preserving immersion, and that combining rotation with halved translational speed supports natural VR teacup experiences using electric wheelchairs as MPs.