Distance perception during cooperative virtual locomotion

Abstract

Virtual distances are often misperceived, though most past research ignores co-located cooperative systems. Because active locomotion plays a role in spatial perception, cooperative viewpoint control may impact perceived distances. Additionally, the center of projection is generally optimized for a single tracked user, meaning that a single action will result in different visual feedback for each user. We describe a study investigating the effect of a co-located cooperative locomotion interface on virtual distance perception. Results indicate that a slight center-of-projection offset did affect distance estimates for the untracked user, but that the cooperation actions themselves did not play a role. This study brings new insights to designing interfaces which facilitate accurate spatial perception in cooperative applications.