Matching and reaching depth judgments with real and augmented reality targets

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Perceptual Psychology
• Augmented Reality Displays

Background:

• Accurate perception of virtual object location is critical for many augmented reality (AR) applications.
• Existing AR systems face challenges in precisely measuring perceived depth, especially at high accuracy requirements (e.g., 1 mm).
• Understanding depth judgment limitations in AR is essential for developing reliable applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the accuracy of perceived depth for augmented reality (AR) objects at reaching distances.
• To evaluate two depth judgment methods: perceptual matching and blind reaching.
• To identify factors influencing depth perception errors in AR displays.

Main Methods:

• Conducted three experiments involving observers judging the depth of real and AR target objects.
• Utilized perceptual matching and blind reaching techniques to assess depth judgment.
• Presented AR targets through collimating optics to simulate display conditions.

Main Results:

• Observers accurately matched the distance of real targets.
• When viewing AR targets through collimating optics, observers systematically overestimated distance by 0.5 to 4.0 cm.
• Reaching accuracy improved with proprioception and visual feedback, approaching matching accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Collimating optics in AR displays introduce systematic overestimation of virtual object depth.
• A model suggests outward rotation of the eyes' vergence angle explains these depth errors.
• AR displays require adjustable focus for accurate depth perception in reaching-distance applications.