Mission Impossible Spaces: Using Challenge-Based Distractors to Reduce Noticeability of Self-Overlapping Virtual Architecture

Impossible spaces make it possible to maximize the area of virtual environments that can be explored on foot through self-overlapping virtual architecture. This paper details a study exploring how users’ ability to detect overlapping virtual architecture is affected when the virtual environment includes distractors that impose additional cognitive load by challenging the users. The results indicate that such distractors both increase self-reported task load and reduce users’ ability to reliably detect overlaps between adjacent virtual rooms. That is, rooms could overlap by up to 68% when distractors were presented, compared to 40% when no distractors were present.