Audio-visual attractors for capturing attention to the screens when walking in CAVE systems

Abstract

In four-sided CAVE-like VR systems, the absence of the rear wall has been shown to decrease the level of immersion and can introduce breaks in presence. In this paper it is investigated to which extent user's attention can be driven by visual and auditory stimuli in a four-sided CAVE-like system. An experiment was conducted in order to analyze how user attention is diverted while physically walking in a virtual environment, when audio and/or visual attractors are present. The foursided CAVE used in the experiment allowed to walk up to 9m in straight line. An additional key feature in the experiment is the fact that auditory feedback was delivered through binaural audio rendering techniques via non-personalized head related transfer functions (HRTFs). The audio rendering was dependent on the user's head position and orientation, enabling localized sound rendering. The experiment analyzed how different "attractors" (audio and/or visual, static or dynamic) modify the user's attention. The results of the conducted experiment show that audiovisual attractors are the most efficient attractors in order to keep the user's attention toward the inside of the CAVE. The knowledge gathered in the experiment can provide guidelines to the design of virtual attractors in order to keep the attention of the user and avoid the "missing wall".

Electro-Tactile Feedback System to Enhance Virtual Reality Experience

“…Most VR systems offer visual feedback only by using a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) with head pose and position tracking to achieve 3D perception and interactivity with the simulated environment [6], or CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) which uses 3D data projectors aimed at walls to immerse the user in the virtual world [7]. When combined with adequate 3D simulator software and processing these systems are able to make virtual objects appear like natural objects by producing in-depth perception of the environment [8].…”

“…Concluding remarks are provided in the Section V. The key component of any VR system is the display which should deliver the immersive experience to the user with the virtual word. There are several approaches to create a 3D visual perception, the main ones being CAVE and HMD, see [6] and [7]. The most expensive option, CAVE, requires a room where the walls, floor and ceiling are fully-covered with screens that project the virtual environment.…”