Redirected Walking vs. Omni-Directional Treadmills: An Evaluation of Presence

Omni-Directional Treadmills (ODT) and Redirected Walking (RDW) seem suitable for eliciting presence through a full-body walking experience, however both present unique mechanisms that can affect users' presence, comfort, and overall preference. To measure this effect, we conducted a counterbalanced within-subjects user study with 20 participants. Participants wore a wireless VR headset and experienced a tour of a virtual art museum, once using RDW and another time using a passive, slip-based ODT. Both solutions elicit similar amounts of presence, however RDW is perceived as more natural and is the preferred choice of the participants.