Will the Apple Fall? A VR Gravity Calculator Through Controller Movement Tracking and Gaze Interaction

We introduce a VR gravity calculator for the “Next-Gen Calculators” challenge. This interactive tool enables users to calculate gravitational forces by inputting planetary radius and mass, employing advanced controller movement tracking and eye-hand coordination for interaction. It also has different planets and materials presets, allowing automatic data retrieval and hypothetical exploration. It visualises and simulates the gravitational forces in real-time through a fun fruit-falling effect. Our calculator aims to transform geophysics education by making complex concepts accessible and engaging through tangible simulation. This innovative approach bridges theoretical knowledge with practical application, offering a responsive and interactive learning experience in geophysics.

1 Introduction

As one of the fundamental physics concepts, gravity is all around us, from the spinning earth to the falling apple. Understanding gravity's influence is crucial, yet its vast scale and the relative positions of planets present a significant challenge in demonstrating gravitational interactions on planetary surfaces. In response to this challenge, for the 3D UI contest of calculator design, we focus on exploring planet gravitation through an interactive VR experience. Figure 1:

Capture of the gravitational force system: (a) The user inputs mass and radius through controller rotation tracking; apples float around based on the gravity output; (b)(c) The user selects material presets of marshmallow through hand-eye coordination.