A freeze-object interaction technique for handheld augmented reality systems

作者：Arshad Haslina^*; Chowdhury Shahan Ahmad; Chun Lam Meng; Parhizkar Behrang; Obeidy Waqas Khalid

来源：Multimedia Tools and Applications, 2016, 75(10): 5819-5839.

DOI：10.1007/s11042-015-2543-3

• Handheld augmented reality
• Interaction technique
• User experiment
• Touch interaction

This paper will present an improved freeze interaction technique in handheld augmented reality. A freeze interaction technique allows users to freeze the augmented view and interact with the virtual content while the camera image is still. In the past, the strength of the freeze interaction technique was that it was able to overcome a shaky view by enabling users to experience a comfortable interaction. However, it froze the whole augmented scene. When a virtual object is updating continuously, the real-world view from the camera remains as a still picture until the user unfreezes the scene, thus reducing the real-time augmented reality experience which, to the user, is not attractive enough. To overcome the current problem, a ` Freeze-Object' interaction technique has been implemented for handheld augmented reality. The Freeze-Object interaction technique allows the user to interact with a frozen virtual object in a live real-world scene. A comparative user study was conducted to evaluate the 'Freeze-Object' interaction technique in a handheld touch AR environment. The Freeze-Object interaction technique was compared with the existing freeze technique in terms of user performance and user preference of the interaction technique. Users were asked to perform three basic manipulation tasks (translation, rotation and scaling) using both interaction techniques. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between both techniques with regard to the translation task and that for the overall tasks, the users preferred the Freeze-Object interaction over the existing freeze interaction technique because the former technique allows users to see live the real-world view with a frozen virtual object. The improved freeze interaction technique can be used for various applications, such as interior design and maintenance.

• 出版日期2016-5