The usability of hyperstereo in stereoscopic imagery
Eric S. Seemiller, Eleanor O'Keefe, Steven Hadley, Marc Winterbottom · 2025
Unless the properties of a stereoscopic extended reality (XR) display match those of the user’s visual system (i.e., orthostereoscopic) image space distortions will be introduced. Though most of these distortions negatively impact the usability of the display, increasing the distance between the two scene camera apertures, creating a condition known as hyperstereo, may in fact be useful. Thirty-eight participants performed a simulated precision depth matching task using a stereoscopic display. Participants had to drop a ball from a mechanical gripper positioned 7ft above a receptacle for 30-minute periods. The target receptacle and gripper were between 20 and 40ft from the camera apertures in object space. The amount of hyperstereo and physical viewing distance varied between conditions. Performance was assessed using both speed and accuracy of the task and visual stress metrics. At both viewing distances, increasing the hyperstereo improved accuracy performance, yet none of the physiological metrics of visual stress were significantly different between viewing conditions. There was no relationship between an individual’s stereoacuity and the degree of improvement with increased hyperstereo. Increasing the camera separation may be an easy way to improve performance with a stereoscopic XR display, particularly for tasks beyond normal interaction distance, while minimizing stress on the user’s visual system. These results can optimize the usability of stereoscopic cameras and displays by guiding parameters of the design, specifically how far apart stereo scene cameras can be.