This thesis advances wearable outdoor augmented reality (WOAR) research
by proposing novel visualisations, by consolidating previous work, and through
several formal user studies. Wearable outdoor augmented reality combines augmented
reality (AR) and wearable computing to enable novel applications. AR
allows the user to perceive virtual objects as part of their real environment. Using
wearable computers as a platform for AR allows users to see the real and the
virtual world combined in a mobile environment. This combination enables new
and exciting applications that bring with them new challenges for interface and
usability research.
The research described in this thesis advances the field of WOAR research
by developing a WOAR version of a commercial road stakeout application. This
case study makes possible the first formal direct comparison of the performance
of a WOAR application and its conventional counterpart. Road stakeout is the
process of locating points in the real world and marking them with stakes. This
process is not only relevant for road construction, but also to construction and
surveying in general. AWOAR stakeout application can visualise stakeout targets
on their location in the real world, while conventional stakeout systems can only
guide users to these locations using indirect displays. The formal comparison
found significant differences in performance, and showed that the WOAR system
performed twice as fast at the same accuracy level as the conventional system. The
study also identified a number of usability issues and technical problems related
to WOAR systems that still need to be overcome.
The thesis examines usability problems of the WOAR road stakeout application
in detail, proposes solutions, and compares their efficiency in formal user
studies. The basic stakeout tasks are navigating to a target location and then placing
a stakeout pole on that location. Original research in the fields of directional
interfaces and depth cues determined solutions for efficient navigation and pole
placement in the WOAR stakeout application.
Further, the presented work includes explorative implementations of obscured
information visualisations. The thesis proposes interaction with artificially transparent
stakeout poles and hands, and examines their feasibility with respect to
perceptual and technical issues. A visualisation of a road model investigated the
preservation of context while automatically providing detail when needed.
The thesis presents working WOAR implementations of navigation and depth
cue support, a road model visualisation, and an artificially transparent stakeout
pole.
In conclusion, the thesis consolidated WOAR interface research and extended
the field with empirical research. The presented research is the first that allows a
WOAR application to compete directly with a commercial conventional system,
demonstrating the strong potential that WOAR systems already have.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:canterbury.ac.nz/oai:ir.canterbury.ac.nz:10092/2958 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Buchmann, Volkert |
| Publisher | University of Canterbury. Computer Science and Software Engineering |
| Source Sets | University of Canterbury |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic thesis or dissertation, Text |
| Rights | Copyright Volkert Buchmann, http://library.canterbury.ac.nz/thesis/etheses_copyright.shtml |
| Relation | NZCU |
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