Applications of virtual reality hand tracking for self-defense simulation

KickVR is a self-defense training simulation designed to help users learn how to better defend themselves as a last resort. In collaboration with the Mount Pleasant Police Department, KickVR empowers users in the community to learn self-defense even if they do not have the time to attend in-person classes or none are accessible in their region. Virtual reality provides convenient access to self-defense training for users in their own homes. The immersion is enhanced through the use of hand-tracking. In place of hand controllers, the user’s physical hands are tracked and rendered for the self-defense simulation. Our contributions include: a virtual environment appropriate for encounters in a small town, integration of the Leap Motion Controller to an Oculus Rift CV1 headset, a Unitydriven experience, interviewing members of law enforcement for locations of violent crime, and a framework for investigating external evaluations of the impact of virtual reality simulations in future works.