ModularHMD, a reconfigurable mobile head-mounted display enabling ad-hoc peripheral interactions with the real world.
HMD has the potential to provide the ideal virtual office to mobile workers.
However, current HMD design is not suited for mobile work contexts because the physical cowls isolates the HMD users from the real world.
For example, non-HMD users cannot participate in VR contents, nor can they make eye contact with HMD users.
It is also difficult for HMD users to type while wearing HMD.
The concept of the ModularHMD is to construct HMD with a frontal display and three removable & reusable display modules.
Each module can be switched mainly 3 states; (b) Extended VR view, (c) Video see-through view, and (d) Removed/Reused.
We designed the field of views and lens arrangement of the HMD based on human visual property, and implemented a prototype for proof of concept.
In our prototype, the user can gaze at each peripheral module by moving their eyes.
As examples of the use of this device, we have defined 6 interaction patterns.
We will introduce the interactions from now.
The first interaction scenario is Immersive VR Experience.
In this scenario, the user is alone and wants to go into a virtual world.
To do so, the side and bottom modules display views that extend the view of the frontal virtual environment.
The second interaction scenario is Object interaction.
In this scenario, the user wants to take some notes during VR experience.
To do this, the bottom module displays the real-world tabletop by video see-through, while the virtual environment is displayed in front.
The third interaction scenario is Peripheral Situational Awareness.
In this scenario, the HMD user recognizes a nearby person during a VR experience and wants to know their intentions.
To do this, the side module displays the real-world environment by video see-through.
The fourth interaction scenario is Device interaction.
In this scenario, the user receives a chat message during mobile VR experience and wants to quickly reply.
To do this, the user can remove the bottom module and immediately use it as their familiar touch keyboard.
The front display shows the chatting application and shows the text entered by the user in the bottom module in real time.
When the typing is finished, the user can easily return the module to its holder and re-immerse himself in the virtual environment.
The fifth interaction scenario is Side-by-side Collaboration.
In this scenario, a boss drops in on his subordinate who is modeling with an HMD, and an ad-hoc collaborative interaction begins.
ModularHMD helps both users, but this movie shows the subordinate's perspective.
First, the boss asks his subordinate about progress, and the subordinate share his work very quickly by removing the side module and lending it to the boss.
The Removed module displays a screen for collaborative work, and the boss uses it to give instructions.
This 3D modeling application highlights the sphere selected by the boss in yellow so that subordinate can clearly understand his instructions.
The subordinate can see the behavior of the boss through the side opening, and puts the module back in the slot at the end of collaboration.
The final interaction scenario is Side-by-side Collaboration from non-HMD user's perspective
The story in this scenario is exactly the same as in the previous interaction scenario, except the perspective has changed.
The boss asks his subordinate about their progress and borrows a side module from him to start instruction.
Just as the subordinate did, the boss can make eye-contact with the subordinate and perceive his mental state
The boss can move freely within the VE and give instructions while observing the 3D model and the HMD user's position within the VE displayed on the display module screen.