Challenges in passenger use of mixed reality headsets in cars and other transportation

• Published in: Virtual reality : the journal of the Virtual Reality Society 2020-12, Vol.24 (4), p.583-603
• Main Authors: McGill, Mark, Williamson, Julie, Ng, Alexander, Pollick, Frank, Brewster, Stephen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Artificial Intelligence; Augmented reality; Automobiles; Autonomous vehicles; Computer Graphics; Computer Science; Headsets; Image Processing and Computer Vision; Mixed reality; Motion sickness; Original Article; Passengers; User Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction; Virtual reality
• ISSN: 1359-4338; 1434-9957
• DOI: 10.1007/s10055-019-00420-x

This paper examines key challenges in supporting passenger use of augmented and virtual reality headsets in transit. These headsets will allow passengers to break free from the restraints of physical displays placed in constrained environments such as cars, trains and planes. Moreover, they have the potential to allow passengers to make better use of their time by making travel more productive and enjoyable, supporting both privacy and immersion. However, there are significant barriers to headset usage by passengers in transit contexts. These barriers range from impediments that would entirely prevent safe usage and function (e.g. motion sickness) to those that might impair their adoption (e.g. social acceptability). We identify the key challenges that need to be overcome and discuss the necessary resolutions and research required to facilitate adoption and realize the potential advantages of using mixed reality headsets in transit.