Basic Perception in Head-worn Augmented Reality Displays

Abstract Head-worn displays have been an integral part of augmented reality since the inception of the field. However, due to numerous difficulties with designing us-ing such unique hardware, the perceptual capabilities of users suffer when looking at either the virtual or real portions of the augmented reality. We discuss the perceptual background and a series of experiments – in the literature and in our laboratories – measuring the degradation of basic functions of the human visual system when us-ing head-worn augmented reality displays. In particular, we look at loss of visual acuity and contrast (and how these in turn affect text legibility), distortion of per-ceived colors, and difficulties of fusing stereo imagery. We discuss the findings and the implications for head-worn display design