Thumble: One-Handed 3D Object Manipulation Using a Thimble-Shaped Wearable Device in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Conventional controllers or hand-tracking interactions in VR cause hand fatigue while manipulating 3D objects because repetitive wrist rotation and hand movements are often required. As a solution to this inconvenience, we propose Thumble, a novel wearable input device worn on the thumb for modifying the orientation of 3D objects. Thumble can rotate the 3D objects depending on the orientation of the thumb and using the thumb pad as an input surface on which the index finger rubs to control the direction and degree of rotations. Therefore, it requires minimal motion of the wrist and the arm. Through the informal user study, we collected the subjective feedback of users and found that Thumble has less hand movement than a conventional VR controller.