A larger augmented-reality field of view improves interaction with nearby holographic objects.

Augmented-reality (AR) applications have shown potential for assisting and modulating gait in health-related fields, like AR cueing of foot-placement locations in people with Parkinson's disease. However, the size of the AR field of view (AR-FOV), which is smaller than one's own FOV, might affect interaction with nearby floor-based holographic objects. The study's primary objective was to evaluate the effect of AR-FOV size on the required head orientations for viewing and interacting with real-world and holographic floor-based objects during standstill and walking conditions. Secondary, we evaluated the effect of AR-FOV size on gait speed when interacting with real-world and holographic objects. Sixteen healthy middle-aged adults participated in two experiments wearing HoloLens 1 and 2 AR headsets that differ in AR-FOV size. To confirm participants' perceived differences in AR-FOV size, we examined the head orientations required for viewing nearby and far objects from a standstill position (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2, we examined the effect of AR-FOV size on head orientations and gait speeds for negotiating 2D and 3D objects during walking. Less downward head orientation was required for looking at nearby holographic objects with HoloLens 2 than with HoloLens 1, as expected given differences in perceived AR-FOV size (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2, a greater downward head orientation was observed for interacting with holographic objects compared to real-world objects, but again less so for HoloLens 2 than HoloLens 1 along the line of progression. Participants walked slightly but significantly slower when interacting with holographic objects compared to real-world objects, without any differences between the HoloLenses. To conclude, the increased size of the AR-FOV did not affect gait speed, but resulted in more real-world-like head orientations for seeing and picking up task-relevant information when interacting with floor-based holographic objects, improving the potential efficacy of AR cueing applications.

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Copyright: © 2024 Hoogendoorn et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

MR is a scientific advisor with share options for Strolll Ltd., a digital therapeutics company building AR software for physical rehabilitation, for one day a week ancillary to his main position as associate professor Technology in Motion at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. There are no patents, products in development or marketed products associated with this research to declare.