Objective

To contribute to the validation of virtual reality (VR) as a tool for analyzing pedestrian behavior, we compared two types of high-fidelity pedestrian simulators to a test track.

Background

While VR has become a popular tool in pedestrian research, it is uncertain to what extent simulator studies evoke the same behavior as nonvirtual environments.

Method

An identical experimental procedure was replicated in a CAVE automatic virtual environment (CAVE), a head-mounted display (HMD), and on a test track. In each group, 30 participants were instructed to step forward whenever they felt the gap between two approaching vehicles was adequate for crossing.

Results

Our analyses revealed distinct effects for the three environments. Overall acceptance was highest on the test track. In both simulators, crossings were initiated later, but a relationship between gap size and crossing initiation was apparent only in the CAVE. In contrast to the test track, vehicle speed significantly affected acceptance rates and safety margins in both simulators.

Conclusion

For a common decision task, the results obtained in virtual environments deviate from those in a nonvirtual test bed. The consistency of differences indicates that restrictions apply when predicting real-world behavior based on VR studies. In particular, the higher susceptibility to speed effects warrants further investigation, since it implies that differences in perceptual processing alter experimental outcomes.

Application

Our observations should inform the conclusions drawn from future research in pedestrian simulators, for example by accounting for a higher sensitivity to speed variations and a greater uncertainty associated with crossing decisions.

中文翻译：

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虚拟环境中的行人过街决策：CAVE 和头戴式显示器中的行为有效性

客观的

为了有助于验证虚拟现实 (VR) 作为分析行人行为的工具，我们将两种类型的高保真行人模拟器与测试跑道进行了比较。

背景

虽然 VR 已成为行人研究中的流行工具，但尚不确定模拟器研究在多大程度上引发了与非虚拟环境相同的行为。

方法

在 CAVE 自动虚拟环境 (CAVE)、头戴式显示器 (HMD) 和测试轨道上复制了相同的实验程序。在每组中，30 名参与者被指示在他们觉得两辆接近的车辆之间的距离足以让他们通过时向前走。

结果

我们的分析揭示了三种环境的不同影响。测试跑道上的总体接受度最高。在这两个模拟器中，交叉路口都是稍后启动的，但间隙大小和交叉路口启动之间的关系仅在 CAVE 中才明显。与测试跑道相比，车速显着影响了两个模拟器的接受率和安全裕度。

结论

对于一项常见的决策任务，在虚拟环境中获得的结果与在非虚拟测试台中获得的结果存在偏差。差异的一致性表明在基于 VR 研究预测现实世界行为时存在限制。特别是，对速度效应的更高敏感性值得进一步研究，因为这意味着感知处理的差异会改变实验结果。

应用

我们的观察应该为行人模拟器的未来研究得出结论，例如考虑到对速度变化的更高敏感性和与交叉路口决策相关的更大不确定性。