Work

Estimating the Curvature of Visual Space in Virtual Reality Using an Exocentric Pointing Task

Year: 2026

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: Human perception of space deviates from a simple Euclidean representation of physical reality. In this study, we adapted a classic exocentric pointing paradigm to a Virtual Reality (VR) environment to investigate how the perceived curvature of space at gaze height varies with distance. Thirty participants performed a task using a VR headset, which consisted of aligning a pointer with targets arranged in equilateral triangular configurations with side lengths ranging from 2 to 20 m, while the participant was positioned at the barycenter of the triangle. The angular pointing error at each distance was interpreted as an indicator of perceived visual curvature. The results revealed a highly significant elliptic effect (positive angular error) in near space, whereas middle and far distances showed no evidence of hyperbolicity (negative angular error) and were perceived as closer to Euclidean (null angular error).

Source: ACM Symposium on Applied Perception

DOI: 10.1145/3821409.3821467

Authors: Alexis P Chambers, Alizée Pinet, Evan Center, Timo Ojala, Steven LaValle, Nicoletta Prencipe

Institutions: University of Oulu, Laboratoire Mathématiques, Image et Applications, La Rochelle Université, Institut de recherche mathématique de Rennes, Université de Rennes

Language: English

Topic: Visual perception and processing mechanisms

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

OpenAlex ID: W7204106076

FWCI:

Cites: 35

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Related to: 10