Sailboat Simulation System Based on Natural Interaction and Eye-Tracking

In an effort to promote and popularize sailing, we have developed a natural interaction-based sailing simulation system that realistically simulates the experience of maneuvering a J/80 sailboat. This system encompasses a multi-sail four degrees of freedom (4DOF) maneuvering motion model to represent the actual movement of the sailboat and a simulated wind and wave navigation environment. Users can steer the sailboat by controlling the rudder, raising and lowering sails under varying wind and sea conditions. Our system introduces an innovative natural interaction method based on data gloves, which includes static gestures interaction, virtual hand grasping, pulling, and other actions for steering the virtual sailboat. This significantly enhances user immersion and participation, making the handling of sailboat more natural. Furthermore, the system integrates eye-tracking technology to provide prompts based on the user's gaze point, assisting them in better steering the sailboat and effectively reducing the learning curve. User study indicates that these interaction methods offer a deeper sense of immersion with a more natural and efficient interaction compared to VR controller. Therefore, our system provides users with a good sailboat handling experience, allowing them to experience the charm of sailing sports even without a real sailboat and venue.