No abstract

Simulation fidelity is characterized as the extent to which a Virtual Environment (VE) and relevant interactions with it are indistinguishable from a user's interaction with a real environment. The growing number of VE training applications which target a high level of simulation fidelity, mainly for transfer of training in the real world, have made it crucial to examine the manner in which these particular implementations and designs are evaluated. The methodology presented in this study focuses on real versus simulated virtual worlds, comparing participants' level of presence, task performance, and cognition state employed to complete a memory task. A 15-minute seminar was presented in four different conditions including real, 3D desktop, 3D Head Mounted Display (HMD) and Audio-only (between-subjects design). Four independent groups of 18 participants took part in the experiment, which investigated the effects of levels of immersion on participants' memory recall and memory awareness state (relevant to episodic and semantic memory types) as well as on their perception of the experimental space and sense of presence for every condition. The level of reported presence was not positively associated with accurate memory recall in all conditions, although the scores for both presence and seminar memory recall in the "real" condition were statistically higher. Memory awareness states' analysis gave a invaluable insight into "how" participants remembered both communicated information and space, as opposed to "what," most interestingly across specific conditions where results for presence and accurate memory recall were not proven to be significant.

Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) are expected to revolutionise entertainment, healthcare, communication and the manufacturing industries among many others. Near‐eye displays are an enabling vessel for VR/AR applications, which have to tackle many challenges related to ergonomics, comfort, visual quality and natural interaction. These challenges are related to the core elements of these near‐eye display hardware and tracking technologies. In this state‐of‐the‐art report, we investigate the background theory of perception and vision as well as the latest advancements in display engineering and tracking technologies. We begin our discussion by describing the basics of light and image formation. Later, we recount principles of visual perception by relating to the human visual system. We provide two structured overviews on state‐of‐the‐art near‐eye display and tracking technologies involved in such near‐eye displays. We conclude by outlining unresolved research questions to inspire the next generation of researchers.

System latency (time delay) and its visible consequences are fundamental virtual environment (VE) deficiencies that can hamper user perception and performance. The aim of this research is to quantify the role of VE scene content and resultant relative object motion on perceptual sensitivity to VE latency. Latency detection was examined by presenting observers in a head-tracked, stereoscopic head mounted display with environments having differing levels of complexity ranging from simple geometrical objects to a radiosity-rendered scene of two interconnected rooms. Latency discrimination was compared with results from a previous study in which only simple geometrical objects, without radiosity rendering or a 'real-world' setting, were used. From the results of these two studies, it can be inferred that the Just Noticeable Difference (JND) for latency discrimination by trained observers averages ~15 ms or less, independent of scene complexity and real-world meaning. Such knowledge will help elucidate latency perception mechanisms and, in turn, guide VE designers in the development of latency countermeasures.

This paper describes a methodology based on human judgments of memory awareness states for assessing the simulation fidelity of a virtual environment (VE) in relation to its real scene counterpart. To demonstrate the distinction between task performance-based approaches and additional human evaluation of cognitive awareness states, a photorealistic VE was created. Resulting scenes displayed on a headmounted display (HMD) with or without head tracking and desktop monitor were then compared to the real-world task situation they represented, investigating spatial memory after exposure. Participants described how they completed their spatial recollections by selecting one of four choices of awareness states after retrieval in an initial test and a retention test a week after exposure to the environment. These reflected the level of visual mental imagery involved during retrieval, the familiarity of the recollection and also included guesses, even if informed. Experimental results revealed variations in the distribution of participants' awareness states across conditions while, in certain cases, task performance failed to reveal any. Experimental conditions that incorporated head tracking were not associated with visually induced recollections. Generally, simulation of task performance does not necessarily lead to simulation of the awareness states involved when completing a memory task. The general premise of this research focuses on how tasks are achieved, rather than only on what is achieved. The extent to which judgments of human memory recall, memory awareness states, and presence in the physical and VE are similar provides a fidelity metric of the simulation in question.