The practical application of 3D virtual environment technology has made significant progress over the last decade, as advances in the computer industry allow for faster, more complex operations to be accomplished with much less hardware and at decreased cost. As a consequence, applications once limited to experimental laboratories are reaching the design phase for mainstream deployment. However, successful integration of 3D virtual environments into the daily activities of the full spectrum of society is hindered by the fact that such systems do not yet provide an environment in which human performance matches performance in the natural world. One of the limiting factors is the failure to properly take into account the human psychological and sensorimotor systems, and how these systems change with age. It is well known, for example, that vision is the dominant source of sensory information, and that changes in sensorimotor processing and perception result in alterations in the use of vision for motor control at various stages of the lifespan. That human-computer interaction is significantly affected by such changes where standard computer interfaces are concerned is well documented, but there is a paucity of information on human-computer interaction across the lifespan in 3D virtual environments. The PI argues that to succeed in the creation of valid 3D virtual environments for the full array of potential users, age-specific sensorimotor requirements must be systematically determined. To this end, the PI will in this project seek to establish sensory feedback parameters for motor control in a desktop 3D virtual environment. A multi-disciplinary approach based on methodologies from human motor control, biomechanics and neuroscience will be used. Specifically, the PI will investigate the quantity, quality, and timing of visual feedback employed in simple tasks. Further inquiry into the interaction of task difficulty and sensory feedback will be undertaken. Finally, for each of the basic experimental investigations, the between subjects factor of age group and the within subjects factors of manipulated sensory feedback will be analyzed. Basic motor control measurement and predictive modeling techniques will be employed to understand how sensory feedback is used, to quantify the negative effects of lag, and to develop methods for improving the presentation of sensory information to users of various age groups. These developments will then be incorporated into the system, and experiments will be extended to more complex and functional tasks.
Broader Impacts: By gaining a comprehensive understanding of the role of graphic information for interaction in computer-generated environments across the lifespan, this research will establish evidence-based recommendations to designers of virtual environments regarding how to provide the most effective sensory feedback to users of all ages.
