Sensitivity to Visual Speed Modulation in Head-Mounted Displays Depends on Fixation.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality
• Perceptual Psychology

Background:

• Simulator sickness in head-mounted displays (HMDs) often stems from sensory conflicts during head motion.
• Minimizing perceptual sensitivity to visual motion in HMDs may reduce simulator sickness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if reduced sensitivity to visual speed modulation during active head turns in HMDs persists with head-fixed fixation.
• To compare this effect with prior findings from passive whole-body rotations.

Main Methods:

• Participants wore an Oculus Rift CV1 HMD and performed active 15° head turns.
• Visual stimuli consisted of white points on a black background.
• Fixation was either head-fixed or scene-fixed during head movement, with participants reporting perceived visual speed.

Main Results:

• Sensitivity to visual speed modulation was reduced when participants fixated a head-fixed target compared to a scene-fixed target.
• This pattern mirrored previous findings with passive, slow, whole-body rotations.

Conclusions:

• Fixating a head-fixed target effectively reduces perceptual sensitivity to visual speed modulation in HMDs.
• This strategy may be beneficial in mitigating simulator sickness.