Why Do Objects Appear To Float, Slide Or Drift?

Drift Symptoms And Causes

Occasionally, computer-generated objects in the first-person view may appear to slide or float away. This phenomenon is known as drift. Drift is caused by miscalculations of sensor readings; the device receives conflicting signals from the camera and other sensors and attempts to correct the situation by adjusting the user’s position relative to other objects, causing them to “float” away.

Drift occurs rarely—mostly in situations with poor visibility, dim lighting or when the camera is pointed at a flat surface with a solid color and uniform texture (such as walls or concrete slabs). In such cases, the device’s camera does not receive enough information about the surrounding environment, and the device may conclude that the user is moving around when, in fact, the user is stationary.

Tips To Minimize Drift

Since drift is caused by insufficient visual cues, the best way to counter drift is to let the device “see” more so that it can reestablish its location. Lightly shake the device or move it from side to side so that it captures additional details about the surrounding environment with its camera. In most situations, this will cause the first-person view to snap back to its original position.

If drift has caused objects to "float" or "slide" away and moving the camera from side to side doesn’t bring them back to the original position, please recalibrate. If recalibration didn’t solve the drift issue, restart the application, change your position or use a flashlight to help the device catch more contrasting objects with its camera.

To avoid drift while walking, keep the device at an angle relative to the ground rather than pointed directly at the ground. This helps the device to capture more information about the surrounding environment and keeps the first-person view drift-free.