TouchWIM: Object Manipulation in AR Spatial Design With World in Miniature and Hybrid User Interface
Shintaro Imatani, Kensuke Tobitani, Kyo Akabane · IEEE Access · 2025
In this study, we propose a novel interaction method, TouchWIM, which combines World in Miniature (WIM) and Hybrid User Interface (HUI) to enhance the efficiency of object manipulation and reduce the workload in spatial design by using Augmented Reality (AR). WIM provides an additional overview perspective in AR by displaying a miniature representation of a room, and HUI enables an accurate and easy input by combining a head-mounted display (HMD) with a tablet. Our system allows the placement and manipulation of objects within a real space by touch interaction with the miniature representation of the room displayed on the tablet. To evaluate TouchWIM, we conducted user studies using a prototype spatial design system, comparing it with existing methods such as Hand-Ray + Direct Touch and WIM alone. The results demonstrated that TouchWIM is the most efficient and reduces the workload for the task of creating a specified spatial layout. This interaction method provides new insights into object manipulation and spatial design in AR.