distance perception in real and virtual environments
Two experiments were conducted to compare distance perception in real and virtual environments. In Experiment 1, adults estimated how long it would take to walk to targets in real and virtual environments by starting and stopping a stopwatch while looking at a target person standing between 20 and 120 ft away. The real environment was a large grassy lawn in front of a university building. We replicated this scene in our virtual environment using a nonstereoscopic, large screen immersive display system. We found that people underestimated time to walk in both environments for distances of 40--60 ft and beyond. However, time-to-walk estimates were virtually identical across the two environments. In Experiment 2, 10- and 12-year-old children and adults estimated time to walk in real and virtual environments both with and without vision. Adults again underestimated time to walk in both environments for distances of 60 ft and beyond. Again, their estimates were virtually identical in the real and virtual environment both with and without vision. Children's time-to-walk estimates were also very similar across the two environments under both viewing conditions. We conclude that distance perception may be better in virtual environments involving large screen immersive displays than those involving head mounted displays (HMDs).
perception virtual environments distance estimation large-screen immersive displays