Immersive eating: evaluating the use of head-mounted displays for mixed reality meal sessions

Abstract

This paper documents a pilot study evaluating a simple approach allowing users to eat real food while exploring a virtual environment (VE) through a head-mounted display (HMD). Two cameras mounted on the HMD allowed for video-based stereoscopic see-through when the user’s head orientation pointed toward the food, and the VE would appear when the user turned elsewhere. The pilot study revealed that all participants were able to eat their meals using the system, and a number of potential challenges relevant to immersive eating scenarios were identified.