An Evaluation of 3 - D Object Pointing Using a Field Sequential Stereoscopic Display

Experiments to measure user performance in 3-D object pointing using a field sequential stereoscopic display are described . First , huma.n performance in adjusting a random dot stereogram depth is measured to determine the possibility of pointing at a 3-D object. This experiment shows that the image displayed on the field sequential stereoscopic display can give enough depth information to its user who inputs 3-D coordinate with a mouse. Next, user performance in pointing at 3-D objects using a mouse as an input device is measured . The target for 3-D pointing and an arrow shaped 3-D cursor are in the form of wire frames and displayed stereoscopically. Finally, user performance using a 3-D magnetic tracking input device is tested. These experiments show that it is possible to point at a 3-D object on a field sequential stereoscopic display with relatively high accuracy. However, pointing at objects in depth takes much more time than pointing at objects in a plane. When a mouse is used , the required pointing time heavily depends on the direction of pointing. This tendency is due to the difficulties of depth detection using the field sequential stereoscopic display, and of manipulating a 3-D cursor with a 2-D input device. For the task tested, the 3-D magnetic tracking device was better in terms of the task completion time and error rate.