Dynamics in Interaction on the Responsive Workbench

In this paper we present a different view of user interaction with virtual worlds. We start from the question: how can we bring more natural object behavior into virtual environments? Currently, objects in VR applications often behave in a very un-natural way. Incorporation of physical laws in the virtual environment, together with monitoring natural user actions and behavior is desirable. We present some principles of physically more realistic behavior of virtual objects and a set of user input techniques suitable for semi-immersive VR devices such as the Responsive Workbench. We introduce springs as a new tool for assisting direct manipulation of objects in VEs.