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Perceptually-Guided Adjusted Teleporting: Perceptual Thresholds for Teleport Displacements in Virtual Environments

Rose Connolly, Victor Zordan, Rachel McDonnell

TL;DR

This study investigates the perceptual thresholds for adjusted teleportation in VR by measuring detection of forward and backward endpoint shifts across small and large teleports using a staircase-based psychophysical 2AFC paradigm. The results reveal that teleport destinations can be subtly altered without detection, with higher thresholds for backward adjustments and for longer teleport ranges, and show correlations between detection sensitivity and individual factors such as perspective-taking ability and VR experience. The authors propose Perceptually-Guided Adjusted Teleportation as a design technique to manage interpersonal distance, guide navigation, and support novice users, while highlighting considerations for social context and environmental design. These findings extend redirection principles from walking to teleportation, enabling adaptive, socially aware VR locomotion systems with practical implications for VR social spaces, gaming, and user support.

Abstract

Teleportation is one of the most common locomotion techniques in virtual reality, yet its perceptual properties remain underexplored. While redirected walking research has shown that users' movements can be subtly manipulated without detection, similar imperceptible adjustments for teleportation have not been systematically investigated. This study examines the thresholds at which teleportation displacements become noticeable to users. We conducted a repeated-measures experiment in which participants' selected teleport destinations were altered in both direction (forwards, backwards) and at different ranges (small, large). Detection thresholds for these positional adjustments were estimated using a psychophysical staircase method with a two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) task. Results show that teleport destinations can be shifted without detection, with larger tolerances for backward adjustments and across longer teleport ranges. These findings establish baseline perceptual limits for redirected teleportation and highlight its potential as a design technique. Applications include supporting interpersonal distance management in social VR, guiding players toward objectives in games, and assisting novice users with navigation. By identifying the limits of imperceptible teleportation adjustments, this work extends redirection principles beyond walking to teleportation and opens new opportunities for adaptive and socially aware VR locomotion systems.

Perceptually-Guided Adjusted Teleporting: Perceptual Thresholds for Teleport Displacements in Virtual Environments

TL;DR

This study investigates the perceptual thresholds for adjusted teleportation in VR by measuring detection of forward and backward endpoint shifts across small and large teleports using a staircase-based psychophysical 2AFC paradigm. The results reveal that teleport destinations can be subtly altered without detection, with higher thresholds for backward adjustments and for longer teleport ranges, and show correlations between detection sensitivity and individual factors such as perspective-taking ability and VR experience. The authors propose Perceptually-Guided Adjusted Teleportation as a design technique to manage interpersonal distance, guide navigation, and support novice users, while highlighting considerations for social context and environmental design. These findings extend redirection principles from walking to teleportation, enabling adaptive, socially aware VR locomotion systems with practical implications for VR social spaces, gaming, and user support.

Abstract

Teleportation is one of the most common locomotion techniques in virtual reality, yet its perceptual properties remain underexplored. While redirected walking research has shown that users' movements can be subtly manipulated without detection, similar imperceptible adjustments for teleportation have not been systematically investigated. This study examines the thresholds at which teleportation displacements become noticeable to users. We conducted a repeated-measures experiment in which participants' selected teleport destinations were altered in both direction (forwards, backwards) and at different ranges (small, large). Detection thresholds for these positional adjustments were estimated using a psychophysical staircase method with a two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) task. Results show that teleport destinations can be shifted without detection, with larger tolerances for backward adjustments and across longer teleport ranges. These findings establish baseline perceptual limits for redirected teleportation and highlight its potential as a design technique. Applications include supporting interpersonal distance management in social VR, guiding players toward objectives in games, and assisting novice users with navigation. By identifying the limits of imperceptible teleportation adjustments, this work extends redirection principles beyond walking to teleportation and opens new opportunities for adaptive and socially aware VR locomotion systems.
Paper Structure (24 sections, 4 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 24 sections, 4 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background
  3. Spatial Consequences of Teleportation
  4. The Effects of Teleportation on Proximity
  5. Redirected Locomotion Techniques
  6. Determining Perceptual Thresholds with psychophysical methods
  7. Redirected Teleportation
  8. Objectives & Hypotheses
  9. Experimental Setup
  10. Adjusted Teleports
  11. Teleport Ranges
  12. Perceptual Thresholds with the Staircase Method
  13. Virtual Environment
  14. Piloting Cues
  15. Experimental Design
  16. ...and 9 more sections

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: Layout of wall for rooms in large teleport condition (above) and small teleport condition (below)
  • Figure 2: Distributions of thresholds for each condition with mean and standard deviation labelled (measured in meters), ordered largest to smallest.
  • Figure 3: Sample staircase procedure showing convergence at a threshold of 1.67.
  • Figure 4: Captured camera positions for reference, showing: (1) backward adjustment of 1.5m (outer/orange outline), (2) no adjustment (middle/green outline), and (3) forward adjustment of 1.5m (inner/red outline).