Frazer Bennett Wilford Undergraduate Dissertation 2017/18

Controlling a Flock of Airborne Agents Using Leap Motion Inside of a VR Puzzle Game

Supervised by S.Maddock

Abstract

Through the emergence of affordable and immersive hardware and software solutions to virtual reality (VR) and hand motion tracking, it is now possible to simulate an environment that gives users the ability to have their hand motion mapped within that environment to some action. This project combines the Oculus DK2 VR headset and Leap Motion hand tracking device to develop a game in Unity 5, which involves the control of a simulated flock of airborne agents to complete a set of increasingly difficult obstacle courses. The success of this project was measured on the effectiveness of flock control, flock simulation and the enjoyment experienced by their combination. User surveys of those that tested the game revealed that a combination of VR and hand tracking could provide a suitable environment for flock control. Flocks of agents were simulated in a way user's considered visually compelling, highlighting the effectiveness of agent based models for the simulation of visually interesting swarms in 3d applications. Additionally, the system used for flock control was found easy to learn and fun to use, highlighting the potential for VR and hand tracking to be used for other human-swarm applications.