Can Camera Motions Improve the Perception of Traveled Distance in Virtual Environments?

This paper reports one experiment conducted to evaluate the influence of oscillating camera motions on the perception of traveled distances in virtual environments. In the experiment, participants viewed visual projections of translations along straight paths. They were then asked to reproduce the traveled distance during a navigation phase using keyboard keys. Each participant had to complete the task (1) with linear camera motion, and (2) with oscillating camera motion that simulates the visual flow generated by natural human walking. Taken together, our preliminary results suggest that oscillating camera motions allow a more accurate distance reproduction for short traveled distances.