Credits: Social Media
Study�warns�headsets like Apple Vision Pro�could see the rise of non-people
The Apple Vision Pro and similar mixed reality headsets promise to be the next big advancement in technology but a recent study has warned of both physical and social challenges associated with the devices.
Headsets such as the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 rely on passthrough video which projects a real-time image of the world onto the small screens within the devices themselves. While this allows the user to experience a blend of the real world and the content theyre viewing, there are imperfections with the early versions of this technology according to a study published by researchers at Standford University and Michigan State University.
Technological limitations of headsets like the Apple Vision Pro
While new iterations of mixed reality (MR) headsets such as the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 are far superior to older versions of the technology, their passthrough image quality still falls short of typical human vision according to the study which was penned by 11 authors, all of whom have extensive experience with MR headsets.
One of the most critical issues of passthrough headsets according to the study is image distortion, a phenomenon caused by several factors – including the curvature of the small screens inside the headsets, the process of integrating multiple camera streams into one image, and dynamic adjustments of lighting and focus – all of which create a discrepancy between the location of a users real eyes and the location of the camera display.
Anyone who has spent time in a museums hall of mirrors that make people appear taller, thinner, or curvier understands this concept, said the study. This can be seen in the image below as the gate appears curved when in reality, it is straight.
As a result of this distortion, people struggled to accurately judge distances, especially during spatial tasks such as catching a ball or placing pieces into a jigsaw puzzle, the researchers continued.
Eating was particularly difficult, revealed the study. Given how food near ones face appeared larger and closer in passthrough than ground truth in the world, with centimeters mattering when navigating a fork to the mouth.
As well as having to deal with distortion, researchers also suffered bouts of simulator sickness through extended use of passthrough headsets, with symptoms ranging from eye strain, nausea, dizziness, and headache.
Social limitations of MR headsets
As well as the current technological limitations of mixed reality devices, the study also touched upon potential social issues raised through the use of headsets like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3.
Referencing a 2015 study by B.L. Due, the researchers noted that participants wearing an augmented reality (AR) headset felt significantly less connected to their partners than participants who were not wearing the headset.
This was mirrored in the Stanford-Michigan studys own findings as the real world felt less real and people appeared distant and blended into the background.
Being in public could sometimes feel more like watching TV than interacting face-to-face, the study said. It was often embarrassing to interact with strangers while wearing a headset. Moreover, because a users eyes are not visible while wearing the Meta Quest 3 headset, others in the room have less reason to look at a users face. This lack of eye gaze can be especially disconcerting when a user is speaking.
The study urged caution to the companies pioneering the technology and called for further research into the social absence potentially caused by MR passthrough.
In a reference to the 1959 book The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Erving Goffman, the study warned of concerning consequences, such as invoking distrust or causing people to become non-people, where not all people are perceived as equally present in a situation.
While this may seem like talk of a distant dystopian future, videos that have emerged since the release of the Apple Vision Pro – including one of a young man using the headset on a crowded train, completely oblivious to the world around him – show that the warning may not be that far-fetched.
