Subtle Cueing For Improving Depth Perception in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Understanding an environment relies on human sensory systems, with visual perception as the primary source for defining spatial relationships and estimating distances. The visual system uses natural cues, each offering partial information that can lead to bias and conflicts, especially when ambiguous. Virtual Reality (VR) environments challenge these natural depth cues with discrepancies in perspective and variations in light and shadow depiction, leading to potential confusion in depth perception. However, VR also allows for the isolation and study of these cues. This paper introduces artificial subtle cues (texture blur) to enhance natural depth information in VR. Our results show that augmenting natural depth cues with artificial ones improves depth prediction accuracy and spatial relationship awareness. Subtle blur cues enhance depth estimation without participants’ subjective awareness of the augmentation, suggesting that such subtle cueing can effectively enhance depth perception.