STAT: Subtle Typing Around the Thigh for Head-Mounted Displays

In head-mounted display (HMD) interaction, text entry is frequently supported via some form of virtual touch, controller, or ray casting keyboard. While these options effectively support text entry, they often incur costs of additional external hardware, awkward movements, and hand encumbrance. We propose STAT, a low-cost, mobile, touch typing technique that leverages a smartphone screen located at the thigh, to support both tap and word gesture text input for HMDs. Through a controlled laboratory study, we explore the efficacy of our technique – including a comparison of typing in and out of an enclosed pocket – and present design recommendations for the opportunistic use of a personal touchscreen device positioned at a user’s thigh for HMD text entry.