Recently, I have performed some pilot testing regarding the VR component of the LOCUS multimodal interface. Specifically, I have experimentally tested the behaviour of the VR interface using assisted GPS and a digital compass in a residential area close to City University campus. The GPS is embedded on the mobile device (HP 6915 PDA) while the digital compass is a separate component hidden inside a blue cylinder communicating through Bluetooth technologies. An example of how a pedestrian could use the prototype system in practice is shown below.
Using the LOCUS VR application, pedestrians can navigate intuitively within the real environment using both position and orientation information on a mobile virtual environment. Additional functionality such as dynamic switching of camera viewpoint from the pedestrian view to a birds-eye view can be accessed from the menu buttons. It is worth-mentioning that the digital compass can be also used as a virtual pointer to provide useful information about the surroundings.