A comparative study using an autostereoscopic display with augmented and virtual reality

Abstract

Advances in display devices are facilitating the integration of stereoscopic visualisation in our daily lives. However, autostereoscopic visualisation has not been extensively exploited. In this paper, we present a system that combines augmented reality (AR) and autostereoscopic visualisation. We also present the first study that compares different aspects using an autostereoscopic display with AR and virtual reality (VR), in which 39 children from 8 to 10 years old participated. In our study, no statistically significant differences were found between AR and VR. However, the scores were very high in nearly all of the questions, and the children also scored the AR version higher in all cases. Moreover, the children explicitly preferred the AR version (81%). For the AR version, a strong and significant correlation was found between the use of the autostereoscopic screen in games and seeing the virtual object on the marker. For the VR version, two strong and significant correlations were found. The first correlation was between the ease of play and the use of the rotatory controller. The second correlation was between depth perception and the game global score. Therefore, the combinations of AR and VR with autostereoscopic visualisation are possibilities for developing edutainment systems for children.

Keywords:

• augmented reality
• virtual reality
• comparative study
• autostereoscopy

Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Spanish APRENDRA project (TIN2009-14319-C02). We would like to thank the following for their contributions: AIJU, the “Escola d'Estiu” and especially Ignacio Seguí, Juan Cano, Miguelón Giménez, and Javier Irimia. This work would not have been possible without their collaboration. The ALF3D project (TIN2009-14103-03) for the autostereoscopic display. Roberto Vivó, Rafa Gaitán, Severino González, and M. José Vicent, for their help. The children's parents who signed the agreement to allow their children to participate in the study. The children who participated in the study. The ETSInf for letting us use its facilities during the testing phase.