Direct hand-movement control in virtual space: a potential interface for virtual lab purposes

Abstract

One of the most modern pedagogical trends is the project-based education, in which autonomous learning and student motivation play a key role. In this article the independent student activity and the effective communication between the student and the teacher who became a mentor are so important. In human-computer interaction, there is more and more opportunities beyond the use of traditional, customary tools. During the project task, using mobile motion detection, mobile robot speed control takes place in virtual space, which provides a good test environment for human control. The system tests show that 3D hand gesture-based control is initially uncertain compared to a computer mouse task, but can be used almost as effectively after a short practice. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that hand gesture sensing can serve as an appropriate interface for performing tasks in the future virtual lab, which offers new possibilities for distance education and virtual university also.