Evaluation and Benefits of Head-Mounted Display Systems for HRI Research

Abstract

The intent of this evaluation is to describe the unique benefits that may be provided to human robot interaction (HRI) researchers by the capabilities of commercially available binocular head-mounted displays (HMDs) and associated handheld controllers. Three popular HMDs (Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Google Daydream) were compared across eight factors: cost, head tracking fidelity, visual resolution, user mobility, hand tracking fidelity, number of input modes, adaptability of input, and provided tracking space. Each of these elements was considered in the context of their relevance to the field of HRI, and potential importance for conducting research in immersive virtual reality (IVR). A Pugh chart was developed to succinctly compare the pros and cons of each headset alongside a description of IVR tasks for HRI military research as well as examples taken from work currently being conducted in our lab.