Robustness and static-positional accuracy of the SteamVR 1.0 virtual reality tracking system

Abstract

The use of low-cost immersive virtual reality systems is rapidly expanding. Several studies started to analyse the accuracy of virtual reality tracking systems, but they did not consider in depth the effects of external interferences in the working area. In line with that, this study aimed at exploring the static-positional accuracy and the robustness to occlusions inside the capture volume of the SteamVR (1.0) tracking system. To do so, we ran 3 different tests in which we acquired the position of HTC Vive PRO Trackers (2018 version) on specific points of a grid drawn on the floor, in regular tracking conditions and with partial and total occlusions. The tracking system showed a high inter- and intra-rater reliability and detected a tilted surface with respect to the floor plane. Every acquisition was characterised by an initial random offset. We estimated an average accuracy of 0.5 ± 0.2 cm across the entire grid (XY-plane), noticing that the central points were more accurate (0.4 ± 0.1 cm) than the outer ones (0.6 ± 0.1 cm). For the Z-axis, the measurements showed greater variability and the accuracy was equal to 1.7 ± 1.2 cm. Occlusion response was tested using nonparametric Bland–Altman statistics, which highlighted the robustness of the tracking system. In conclusion, our results promote the SteamVR system for static measures in the clinical field. The computed error can be considered clinically irrelevant for exercises aimed at the rehabilitation of functional movements, whose several motor outcomes are generally measured on the scale of metres.

Task-uninformative visual stimuli improve auditory spatial discrimination: the ambiguous contribution of relative reliability

“…We precisely calibrated the location of walls, light fixtures, and floor by capturing the location of three Vive 2.0 Trackers, averaging their x, y, and z coordinates to compare with a reference point, and applying a linear offset to all elements in the virtual scene. The Vive 2.0 Trackers are very accurate, with position errors on the order of only a few centimeters (Sansone et al ., 2021), and by using the average of three trackers we further improve our tracking accuracy. Auditory stimuli were presented with a loudspeaker array.…”

Static and Dynamic Accuracy and Occlusion Robustness of SteamVR Tracking 2.0 in Multi-Base Station Setups

“…The majority of related work is based on the SteamVR Tracking 1.0 and two first generation SteamVR Base Stations (1.0) [ 4 , 21 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. In these studies, performance of SteamVR Tracking and sometimes other professional tracking systems were compared against a GTS.…”

“…Based on specific experimental setups, single or multiple analyses were performed to determine performance characteristics based on single or multiple measurement runs. Heterogeneous results were reported for the accuracy of SteamVR Tracking, and static positional errors of individual trials varied between ≤1 mm [ 4 , 23 , 26 , 28 ] and mm [ 25 ]. When SteamVR Tracking 1.0 was compared against a professional tracking system, there were no major differences in measurement outcomes.…”

“…When SteamVR Tracking 1.0 was compared against a professional tracking system, there were no major differences in measurement outcomes. While some also performed dynamic analyses in terms of performance [ 23 , 26 , 27 , 29 ], others investigated tracking behavior depending on temporary and complete occlusion or on different distances between base stations [ 21 , 28 ]. Reported dynamic analyses [ 23 , 26 , 27 , 29 ] show a considerable variation of errors ranging from the submillimeter range [ 26 , 27 , 29 ] up to several hundreds of mm [ 23 , 26 ], strongly depending on used velocities and trajectories.…”

Prospects and challenges of Metaverse application in data‐driven intelligent transportation systems

“…The version of Metaverse to be used determines the device to be used. While HMDs such as Oculus Quest [137], VIVE Pro 2 [138], and HP Reverb G2 [139] can be used to display images and play sounds from the virtual environment, while ensuring full immersion in the Metaverse, they tend to feel very heavy after a substantial period of time. Alternative display devices like optical-see through glasses and video-see through glasses like the Microsoft HoloLens [140], Espon Moverio [141] and Magic Leap [142] do not provide the full immersion which the typical non-see through HMD provides.…”