AR Avatars Feel Like Humans?

Augmented reality, which is also used in games like Pokemon Go, is a technology that superimposes virtual CG on the landscape in reality. However, a research result that shows that humans behave like they do when dealing with humans on avatars displayed in augmented reality draws attention.

The research team of Professor Jeremy Bailenson, who is studying psychology at Stanford University, conducted an experiment to see if a subject wearing AR goggles sees a human avatar displayed in a virtual space. First, an avatar named Chris introduces himself and then performs an anagram while watching Chris.

This experiment was conducted with 60 subjects. I let Chris unfold the anagram while watching. While the speed increased, the percentage of correct answers fell. According to the research team’s presentation, this result represents an audience effect that differs when people think they can see it and when they can’t see it, and that humans feel that they can see the avatar’s gaze.

The second experiment was sitting on one of two chairs. Subjects were made to appear to have an avatar already sitting on one of the two chairs. All 27 subjects who were asked to sit in a chair chose a chair where Atava did not sit. In addition, even when the avatar was hidden and seated in a chair, 21 out of 27 people avoided the chair where the avatar was sitting.

More interestingly, even when sitting in a chair, 25 out of 27 people rotated so that they do not turn away from their avatars when they rotate their bodies 180 degrees. The social etiquette that many do not turn away from others was also guarding against avatars.

In the third experiment, subjects equipped with AR goggles were asked to have a conversation with an object overlapping the other person’s face in an AR space so that their facial expressions were not visible. This experiment was conducted on 102 subjects. It is said that there were fewer social relationships with the other person than those wearing AR goggles. This suggests that AR displays affect human emotions and sensations.

Professor Bailins said that while video conferencing is insufficient in non-verbal communication such as gestures, AR can communicate while being conscious of the existence of humans. It is said that there may be disappearance. Related information can be found here .