3D auditory feedback acts as task aid in a virtual assembly environment

The multi-modal information presentation integrated into the virtual environments can stimulate different senses, increase the user´s sense of immersion, and the amount of information accepted and processed by the operator. The increase of information volume may reduce the error and time taken to complete a task. This paper presents our integration of 3D sound into virtual assembly environment for the investigation of the effect of visual and 3D auditory feedback on assembly task performance within virtual environments. A responsive workbench-based experiment platform integrated with a 3D sound workstation and other interaction facilities has been set-up. Several experiments are being conducted to explore and evaluate the effect of neutral, visual, auditory, and integrated feedback mechanism on the sense of presence and task performance in the context of assembly simulation within virtual environments.