Do we need to squeeze large tele-AR scenes to fit them into a small room?

Abstract

This study aims to check the impact of the limited room space and the presence of furniture on the assessment of the distance of virtual objects displayed in augmented reality using low-cost equipment, namely a smartphone in cardboard goggles. The stimuli presented to participants were partially displayed outside the physical room in which the experiment was conducted. Empirical results confirmed a linear relationship between the perceived and actual distances, although the former is strongly underestimated, even though there is an obstacle in the form of a wall at some distance from the user. Additionally, we found that the presence of real-world objects, namely furniture, influenced participants’ estimation of the object’s distance. The results suggest that limiting the size of the room and the proximity of its walls or the presence of the furniture do not affect the perception of distances in augmented reality scenes exceeding the room size.