Making virtual reality more accessible

A team of researchers from the University of Waterloo have created a method that makes virtual reality (VR) more accessible to people with mobility limitations. 

VR games like Beat Saber and Space Pirate Trainer usually require large and dramatic movements, such as raising one’s arms above the head or quickly side-stepping, which can be difficult or impossible for people who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility. To decrease these barriers, the researchers created MotionBlocks, a tool that lets users customize the game’s controls to fit the movements they can do.

“VR games are a lot of fun, and they’re important social spaces, especially for younger generations,” said Johann Wentzel, a recent PhD graduate in Computer Science and the lead author of the research.

“However, VR technology relies on a lot of large movements, which creates a barrier for people who can’t complete them. As soon as you have an application that isn’t accessible to everyone, you’re functionally excluding people with disabilities from these social spaces.” 

The team’s research took place over three phases. First, they invited 10 people with limited mobility to play games, share their frustrations and discuss possible solutions. The Waterloo team then used those testimonials to create MotionBlocks, which modifies how VR game platforms understand controller inputs.

 “It’s a bit like how traditional video games allow you to remap your controls, but our method is much more customizable and works in 3D space,” said Dr. Daniel Vogel, professor at the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at Waterloo. 

“You pick a simple shape and tune it so it captures the kind of movements you can make, like a small circular range of motion on a desk. Then, you configure the kind of 3D movement needed in the VR application, like big hemispherical arm swings for BeatSaber. MotionBlocks figures out how to translate your movements to the ones prescribed by the game.”  

Finally, the researchers tested MotionBlocks in collaboration with eight of the study’s participants. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with users reporting greater enjoyment, less fatigue, and a feeling that something was finally designed for people with disabilities.

The researchers have no current plans to sell or release MotionBlocks. Instead, they hope it will serve as a proof-of-concept for the VR industry. “I’d like to see a motion accessibility feature like this integrated into every VR system on the market,” Wentzel said. “Everyone deserves to be able to access VR in a way that works for their needs.” 

The research, “MotionBlocks: Modular Geometric Motion Remapping for More Accessible Upper Body Movement in Virtual Reality,” was presented at the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, held in Japan from April 26 to May 1, 2025. 

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