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.<br><br> The immersion is enhanced through the use of hand-tracking. The user's real-world hands are rendered for the self-defense simulation rather than using Oculus hand controllers. 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 Unity-driven 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.