Head Tracking and Virtual Reality

1. by Benjamin Nielsen Head Tracking and Virtual Reality

2. Head Tracking and Virtual Reality • Components of Virtual Reality • Methods of Head Tracking • Applications • Conclusion

3. Components of Virtual Reality • Aims to remove differences between “real reality” and virtual reality • Left eye/Right eye differentiation • “Authentic” interface devices • Adapts to user's head movements

4. Left eye/Right eye problem • We get depth perception from having two eyes, each producing their own image • Computer screens produce one image for both eyes • Red-Blue glasses

5. Head Tracking • Changes the position of the virtual camera based on the position of the user's head • Allows you to look around virtual corners by moving your physical head • Gives a greater sense of depth

6. How head tracking works • Accelerometer-based head tracking • Computes head position from accelerations • Low computational overhead • Problems include calibration and accumulated error • Camera-based head tracking • Computes head position from recognizable points • Very precise • More computationally intensive • Some participants reported motion sickness

7. Tracking points • Head tracking camera needs points to recognize • Infrared LEDs are popular for these points, for several reasons: • Less chance of a false positive in the background • WiiMote's IR camera can automatically track multiple points

8. Applications • Training simulations • Used in a study on training industrial welders • Military training simulators • Gaming • Pretty much any 3d game

9. Conclusion • Head tracking provides one component of virtual reality • Current solutions aren't perfect • Points may be hidden • Too few points used • Solutions will improve with time