3D Characters in Virtual Reality to Holistically Evaluate Accessibility of Interior Environments

Simulated Avatars Provide Experiential Feedback for Designing Spaces Suitable for People with Disabilities

These first-person virtual reality characters possess kinesthetic capabilities and provide haptic feedback to simulate various levels of physical ability, enabling designers to test the accessibility of interior environments. Architects, engineers, and interior designers consider personal perspectives when creating corporate, retail, or institutional spaces. While building design codes and standards can account for certain challenges to disabled users, it is often difficult for designers to visualize a broad array of safety, sightline, reach, and social inclusion issues that fall outside of limits of accessibility codes. While building codes and architectural designers are well intended, they often fall short of maximizing the user experience for people with disabilities. How can we shift methods and mindsets not to simply meet accessible building codes but surpass them with heightened user empathy?

Researchers at the University of Florida have developed virtual reality characters for holistically testing an environment’s accessibility before physically constructing it. Simulated avatars navigate 3D spaces with physical impairments that mimic disabilities, facilitating ease-of use design testing and allowing individuals to experience varying degrees of physical challenges.

Application

Virtual reality system in which a VR headset displays a simulated environment to a user wielding two controllers; the user experiences the 3D virtual space as one of multiple characters with various disability characteristics

Advantages

• Allows first-person visualization within current 3D model formats, reducing costs and design time
• Simulates reach, low-vision, and mobility disabilities using virtual avatars, providing designers experiential feedback to improve accessibility
• Loads multiple proposed 3D designs, enabling designers to swap between tested environments at will

Technology

A virtual reality system utilizes a VR headset, controllers, and a computing device to simulate the interactions of disabled characters with a 3D environment. User-controlled, first-person avatars possess haptic capabilities and can simulate various disabilities such as low vision and mobility. As a user moves through the simulated home, work, retail, or institutional environment, the VR system can restrict the user’s vision, perspective, movement, or reaching and grasping ability to simulate challenges experienced by a disabled person.