A Comparison of Head-Mounted Displays vs. Large-Screen Displays for an Interactive Pedestrian Simulator

This investigation compared how people performed a complex perception-action task – crossing trafficfilled roadways – in a CAVE vs. an HMD virtual environment. Participants physically crossed a virtual roadway with continuous cross traffic in either a CAVE-like or an HTC Vive pedestrian simulator. The 3D model and traffic scenario were identical in both simulators, allowing for a direct comparison between the two display systems. We found that participants in the Vive group accepted smaller gaps for crossing than participants in the CAVE group. They also timed their entry into the gap more precisely and tended to cross somewhat more quickly. As a result, participants in the Vive group had a somewhat larger margin of safety when they exited the roadway than those in the CAVE group. Participants in the CAVE group focused their gaze further down the road and had more variability in their gaze distances. The results provide a foundation for future studies of pedestrian behavior and other tasks involving full-body motion using HMD-based VR.