research · 2025
Designing Hand and Forearm Gestures to Control Virtual Forearm for User-Initiated Forearm Deformation
IEEE ISMAR (TVCG) · Acceptance 7.86%
@article{11193659,
author = {Lin, Yilong and Shi, Han and Jiang, Weitao and Zhang, Xuesong and Jo, Hye-Young and Kim, Yoonji and Je, Seungwoo},
journal = {IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics},
title = {Designing Hand and Forearm Gestures to Control Virtual Forearm for User-Initiated Forearm Deformation},
year = {2025},
volume = {31},
number = {11},
pages = {10066-10079},
doi = {10.1109/TVCG.2025.3616825}
}We design hand and forearm gestures to control user-initiated deformation of a virtual forearm in VR. A design workshop with six designers produced 15 gesture sets, and a comparative study evaluated embodiment across the highest-rated sets.
Problem: VR avatars deform passively, not on command
As VR avatar body-deformation effects have grown, most work has focused on passive deformation, leaving users with few ways to actively control how their virtual body changes.
Approach: mapping gestures to forearm deformation
We explored user-controlled forearm deformation by studying how hand and forearm gestures can map to different deformation types and degrees. A gesture-design workshop with six designers produced 15 gesture sets; we took the three highest-rated and ran a comparative study evaluating the sense of embodiment and user performance. The work offers design suggestions for gesture-controlled forearm deformation in VR.