A review of current trends on visual perception studies in virtual and augmented reality

Abstract

In the development of novel algorithms and techniques in virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), it is crucial to take human visual perception into account. For example, when hardware resources are a restraining factor, the limitations of the human visual system can be exploited in the creation and evaluation of new effective techniques. Over the last decades, visual perception evaluation studies have become a vital part of the design, development, and evaluation of immersive computer graphics applications. This course aims at introducing the attendees to the basic concepts of visual perception applied to computer graphics and it offers an overview of recent perceptual evaluation studies that have been conducted with head-mounted displays (HMDs) in the context of VR and AR applications. During this course, we call attention to the latest published courses and surveys on visual perception applied to computer graphics and interaction techniques. Through an extensive search in the literature, we have identified six main areas in which recent visual perceptual evaluation studies have been focused on: distance perception, avatar perception, image quality, interaction, motion perception, and cybersickness. Trends, main results, and open challenges are discussed for each area and accompanied with relevant references offering the attendees a wide introduction and perspective on the topic.