Wednesday 19 March 2025
A collaborative virtual reality experience has been developed to raise awareness about trash pollution in natural landscapes while improving traditional interaction techniques in virtual environments. The project, which combines an immersive cooperative game with efficient and convenient interactions, aims to encourage users to help their surroundings in a fun and engaging way.
The experience, called Planet Purifiers, takes place in the year 2077 where Earth has been devastated by humanity’s failure to stop improper waste disposal. Players work together as scientists to collect hazardous waste and administer medication to mutated wildlife using a self-piloted rover equipped with robotic arms.
To make the interaction process more efficient, two traditional techniques were enhanced: HOMER and Fishing Reel. The HOMER technique uses ray-casting for initial object selection and virtually attached hands for manipulation. However, at large distances, selecting objects was difficult due to precise aiming required by the raycast. To resolve this issue, a cone volume projection from the controller was introduced, allowing less precision for initial selection at long distances.
The Fishing Reel technique was also improved upon. It initially selects objects using a virtual ray and moves them back and forth along the ray. However, reeling the object along the ray was slow, particularly when moving it farther away. To address this, the technique was extended to be bi-manual, where the wrist tilt rotation of the non-selecting hand increases or decreases the reeling speed.
The experience is designed to encourage users to participate in environmental sustainability by making it engaging and fun. The immersive virtual reality environment allows players to feel as if they are actually collecting waste and administering medication to wildlife. The game’s sci-fi narrative also adds an element of excitement, making it more appealing to a wider audience.
The project was developed using the Unity Game Engine with the OpenXR framework to allow flexibility in the choice of head-worn display used for the experience. The networking solution used to support the cooperative gameplay was Normcore. The game’s design process involved group discussions and collaborative system development, with pair-programming and inter-team feedback on prototyped project increments.
The Planet Purifiers project demonstrates how virtual reality can be used to raise awareness about environmental issues while providing an engaging experience for users. By improving traditional interaction techniques and combining them with immersive gameplay, the project aims to encourage users to participate in sustainability efforts and make a positive impact on their surroundings.
Cite this article: “Planet Purifiers: A Virtual Reality Experience for Environmental Sustainability”, The Science Archive, 2025.
Virtual Reality, Environmental Awareness, Trash Pollution, Cooperative Game, Immersive Experience, Unity Game Engine, Openxr Framework, Normcore Networking, Sustainable Development, Pair-Programming
