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Detecting and avoiding obstacles while navigating can pose a challenge for people with low vision, but augmented reality (AR) has the potential to assist by enhancing obstacle visibility. Perceptual and user experience research is needed to understand how to craft effective AR visuals for this purpose. We developed a prototype AR application capable of displaying multiple kinds of visual cues for obstacles on an optical see-through head-mounted display. We assessed the usability of these cues via a study in which participants with low vision navigated an obstacle course. The results suggest that 3D world-locked AR cues were superior to directional heads-up cues for most participants during this activity.
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Augmented Reality as a Tool for Studying Visual Plasticity: 2009 to 2018
Augmented reality (AR) has developed rapidly since its conception less than 30 years ago and is now a hot topic for both consumers and scientists. Although much attention has been paid to its application in industry, medicine, education, and entertainment, the use of AR in psychological research has been less noted. In this article, we survey recent progress in basic research that uses AR to explore the plasticity of the adult visual system. We focus on a particular application of AR called altered reality, which has been used to shed new light on mechanisms of long-term contrast adaptation and ocular-dominance plasticity. The results suggest that AR could also be a useful tool for the treatment of visual disorders.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1558308
- PAR ID:
- 10547897
- Publisher / Repository:
- SAGE Publications
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Current Directions in Psychological Science
- Volume:
- 28
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 0963-7214
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 574-580
- Size(s):
- p. 574-580
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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