Stereoscopic 3D remote vision system (sRVS) design can be challenging. The components often interact such that changing one parameter will cause unintended distortions in the perceptual image space. For example, increasing camera convergence to reduce vergence-accommodation mismatch will have the unintended effect of increasing depth compression. In this study, we investigated the trade-offs between changes in two parameters: viewing distance and camera toe-in. Participants used a simulated telerobotic arm to complete a precision depth matching task in an sRVS environment. Both a comfort questionnaire (subjective) and eye-tracking metrics (objective) were used as indicators of visual stress. The closer viewing distance increased both depth matching performance and objective measures of visual stress, demonstrating the inherent trade-offs associated with many sRVS design variables. The camera toe-in had no effect on either user performance or comfort. While these results suggest that small amounts of camera toe-in may be more tolerable than larger manipulations of viewing distance, the consequences of both should be carefully considered when designing an sRVS.
As the use of virtual and augmented reality increases, it is important to understand how these technologies affect user performance. The introduction of stereoscopic remote vision system (RVS) technology in air refueling tankers means that the performance and level of visual fatigue of aircrew using stereoscopic displays are important operational factors to consider. Crosstalk occurs due to incomplete separation of the two images projected to the two eyes in a stereoscopic display and can degrade depth perception and cause discomfort and fatigue. A substantial amount of previous research has described measurement of crosstalk, compared crosstalk for different display technologies, and examined the effect of crosstalk on viewing discomfort. Additional research has examined the effects of crosstalk on stereoscopic image quality and on the magnitude of perceived depth from disparity and from monocular occlusions. The research described in this report shows that stereoscopic display crosstalk can substantially degrade depth discrimination under viewing conditions simulating a hyperstereoscopic RVS and could clearly be a performance limitation for tasks requiring accurate depth perception such as air refueling.