Oculus Rift

I'm driven by the thrill of tackling uncharted challenges, especially those that push the boundaries of user experience design. During my college capstone, I sought to explore the nascent field of virtual reality (VR), which was just emerging as a new frontier in technology. My teammate and I secured a grant to acquire one of the first Oculus Rift Development Kits. We combined this with the Leap Motion controller to create a system that tracked users' hand gestures within a virtual environment. Our goal was to investigate how traditional device gestures translated into VR, particularly in the absence of haptic feedback. We developed an interactive environment where users could perform actions like scaling, grabbing, throwing, dragging, and deleting objects using natural hand movements. This project was especially challenging as I had no prior experience with VR, game engines, or the Leap Motion device. Nonetheless, I embraced the learning curve, fully aware that my graduation hinged on the success of this endeavor. The project culminated in a successful study that garnered attention in our local newspaper. Reflecting on this experience, it's remarkable to see how concepts we explored are now integral to devices like the Apple Vision Pro, which utilizes hand gestures for interaction in a virtual space . Our early exploration into gesture-based VR interactions was indeed ahead of its time.