Shachar Maidenbaum¹ (), Tevel Katzir¹, Ilan Vol¹; ¹Ben Gurion University, Israel

Navigating around objects is a common spatial activity for humans. However, what happens when these objects are virtual - e.g., added to our environment via augmented reality tools - and can be perceived only visually? Do humans view and treat them as real obstacles? We first explore this question using inanimate objects (e.g. chairs). Participants (n=36) walked down real hallways while wearing augmented reality displays, with matching physical and virtual objects blocking their path. We found that most participants (~85%) treated the virtual and real obstacles similarly, avoiding both with equal distances, while a smaller group consistently treated them differently, keeping significantly less distance from virtual obstacles. In a separate study we tested these questions on augmented reality avatars including humans and robots, replicating results found in both fully virtual and fully real environments demonstrating that participants viewed and treated them as having a real presence - and here too with a similar subgroup who behaved significantly differently. These results strengthen the baseline of human spatial behavior in mixed reality, offer a useful tool for testing the basic science of spatial interaction and multisensory interaction, and offer practical potential both for rehabilitation and for the design of mixed reality interfaces. Finally, our findings demonstrate the importance of individual differences in user reactions to augmented content, and the way it affects their spatial performance.

Acknowledgements: ISF 1322/22