This study by Martin Usoh, Kevin Arthur, Mary C. Whitton, Rui Bastos, Anthony Steed, Mel Slater, Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., and colleagues from University College London and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, investigates the impact of different locomotion methods (walking-in-place, flying, and real walking) on subjective presence in immersive virtual environments. The study builds on previous research by Slater et al. (1995), which found that virtual walking enhances presence compared to flying. The current study adds real walking as a third condition and uses a wide-area ceiling tracker to improve the experimental setup. Key findings include: - Real walking is significantly more natural and easier to use than both virtual walking and flying. - The greatest difference in subjective presence was between flyers and both types of walkers. - Subjective presence was higher for real walkers than virtual walkers, though the difference was statistically significant only in some models. - Virtual walking can be improved by detecting footfalls with a head accelerometer. - Subjective presence correlated highly with the degree of association between subjects and their avatars. - An unexpected byproduct was that real walking through an enhanced version of Slater's visual-cliff virtual environment yielded a compelling and immersive experience. The study suggests that real walking is the most effective method for enhancing presence in virtual environments, while virtual walking can be significantly improved with technological enhancements. The research also highlights the importance of avatar realism and user association in enhancing presence.This study by Martin Usoh, Kevin Arthur, Mary C. Whitton, Rui Bastos, Anthony Steed, Mel Slater, Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., and colleagues from University College London and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, investigates the impact of different locomotion methods (walking-in-place, flying, and real walking) on subjective presence in immersive virtual environments. The study builds on previous research by Slater et al. (1995), which found that virtual walking enhances presence compared to flying. The current study adds real walking as a third condition and uses a wide-area ceiling tracker to improve the experimental setup. Key findings include: - Real walking is significantly more natural and easier to use than both virtual walking and flying. - The greatest difference in subjective presence was between flyers and both types of walkers. - Subjective presence was higher for real walkers than virtual walkers, though the difference was statistically significant only in some models. - Virtual walking can be improved by detecting footfalls with a head accelerometer. - Subjective presence correlated highly with the degree of association between subjects and their avatars. - An unexpected byproduct was that real walking through an enhanced version of Slater's visual-cliff virtual environment yielded a compelling and immersive experience. The study suggests that real walking is the most effective method for enhancing presence in virtual environments, while virtual walking can be significantly improved with technological enhancements. The research also highlights the importance of avatar realism and user association in enhancing presence.