Effects of Reading Text on an Optical See-Through Head-Mounted Display During Treadmill Walking in a Virtual Environment

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of reading text on an optical see-through head-mounted display during treadmill walking in a virtual environment. Thirty participants were recruited to perform Chinese reading tasks by reading six types of text layouts in two polarity settings. A virtual environment was displayed on a projection screen to simulate a walking situation in which obstacles were encountered. High- and low-density obstacles were applied. Objective measures included reading performance, gait variability, and the error count of obstacles. The subjective measures were the situational awareness rating technique (SART) and NASA-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) scores. The results indicated that font size and polarity affected the gait variability, reading performance, situational awareness, and mental workload ratings. The obstacle density affects gait variability and situation awareness rating. The layout with 32-point text and positive polarity yielded faster reading speed, better subjective ratings, and less variability in minimum foot clearance.

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank all the participants who joined in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was partially supported by funding from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan [MOST 107-2221-E-007-069-MY3] and [MOST 110-2221-E-007-104-MY3].

Notes on contributors

Chao-Hung Wang

Chao-Hung Wang received his PhD degree in Industrial Engineering at National Tsing Hua University in 2022.

Chien-Chi Chang

Chien-Chi Chang is a professor at National Tsing Hua University in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management. He received his PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering at University of Utah in 1997.

Chih-Yu Hsiao

Chih-Yu Hsiao is a postdoctoral fellow at National Tsing Hua University in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management. He received his PhD degree in Industrial Engineering at National Tsing Hua University in 2020.

Meng-Chuan Ho

Meng-Chuan Ho received her MS degree in Industrial Engineering at National Tsing Hua University in 2021.