3D Virtual Tracing and Depth Perception Problem on Mobile AR

Mobile Augmented Reality (AR) is most commonly implemented using a camera and a flat screen. Such implementation removes binocular disparity from users' observation. To compensate, people use alternative depth cues (e.g. depth ordering). However, these cues may also get distorted in certain AR implementations, creating depth distortion which is problematic in situations where precise hand interaction within AR workspace is required such as when transcribing augmented instructions to physical objects (e.g. virtual tracing -- creating a physical sketch on a 2D or 3D object given a virtual image on a mobile device). In this paper we explore how depth distortion affects 3D virtual tracing by implementing a first of its kind 3D virtual tracing prototype and run an observational study. Drawing performance exceeded our expectations suggesting that the lack of visual depth cues, whilst holding the object in hand, is not as problematic as initially predicted. However, when placing the object on the stand and drawing with only one hand (the other is used for holding the phone) their performance drastically decreased.

[1]  Tom Drummond,et al.  Going out: robust model-based tracking for outdoor augmented reality , 2006, 2006 IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality.

[2]  Pirkko Oittinen,et al.  Stereoscopic depth perception in video see-through augmented reality within action space , 2014, J. Electronic Imaging.

[3]  Eric Kolstad,et al.  The Effects of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Motion Parallax on Egocentric Depth Perception , 2008, 2008 IEEE Virtual Reality Conference.

[4]  Blair MacIntyre,et al.  Virtual transparency: Introducing parallax view into video see-through AR , 2011, 2011 10th IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality.

[5]  J. Edward Swan,et al.  Depth judgment measures and occluding surfaces in near-field augmented reality , 2010, APGV '10.

[6]  Klen Copic Pucihar,et al.  Dual Camera Magic Lens for Handheld AR Sketching , 2015, INTERACT.

[7]  Paul Coulton,et al.  Creating a stereoscopic magic-lens to improve depth perception in handheld augmented reality , 2013, MobileHCI '13.

[8]  Tony DeRose,et al.  Toolglass and magic lenses: the see-through interface , 1993, SIGGRAPH.

[9]  Brandon Yee,et al.  Augmented Reality In-Situ 3D Sketching of Physical Objects , 2009 .

[10]  Atanas Gotchev,et al.  Relative importance of depth cues on portable autostereoscopic display , 2010, MoViD '10.

[11]  Michael Beigl,et al.  A study of depth perception in hand-held augmented reality using autostereoscopic displays , 2014, 2014 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR).

[12]  Dieter Schmalstieg,et al.  Handheld Augmented Reality for underground infrastructure visualization , 2008, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing.

[13]  Arindam Dey,et al.  Tablet versus phone: Depth perception in handheld augmented reality , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR).

[14]  Frederick P. Brooks,et al.  Moving objects in space: exploiting proprioception in virtual-environment interaction , 1997, SIGGRAPH.

[15]  Antonio Krüger,et al.  Is autostereoscopy useful for handheld AR? , 2013, MUM.

[16]  Eric Kolstad,et al.  Egocentric depth judgments in optical, see-through augmented reality , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.

[17]  Ehud Sharlin,et al.  Napkin sketch: handheld mixed reality 3D sketching , 2008, VRST '08.

[18]  Jihad El-Sana,et al.  In-Place Sketching for content authoring in Augmented Reality games , 2010, 2010 IEEE Virtual Reality Conference (VR).

[19]  Gang Zhao,et al.  CAD-based 3D objects recognition in monocular images for mobile augmented reality , 2015, Comput. Graph..

[20]  Hartmut Seichter,et al.  Sketchand+ a Collaborative Augmented Reality Sketching Application , 2003, CAADRIA proceedings.

[21]  Steven K. Feiner,et al.  Perceptual issues in augmented reality revisited , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality.

[22]  H. Hecht,et al.  Looking into pictures : an interdisciplinary approach to pictorial space , 2003 .

[23]  Kellogg S. Booth,et al.  Evaluating 3D task performance for fish tank virtual worlds , 1993, TOIS.