A dichoptic HMD vision system can provide an expansive and highly detailed visual experience by presenting a
large FOV, lower quality image to one eye and a small FOV, higher quality image to the other. We compared a
benchtop dichoptic vision system (DiVS) to a reference binocular system (RBS) using both subjective ratings and a
performance test. Subjective ratings were directed at questions involving image quality, viewing comfort and
presence or immersion. The performance test required observers to scan the scene to locate a target and then make
an identification. Response times were collected for each component of this task. Target acquisition times were
found to be much shorter for the DiVS condition while target identification times were longer. Total time to acquire
and identify a target was found to be significantly shorter for a dichoptic system.
Previous foveal/peripheral display systems have typically combined the foveal and peripheral views optically, in a single
eye, in order to provide simultaneously both high resolution and wide field of view from a limited number of pixels.
While quite effective, this approach can lead to cumbersome optical designs that are not well suited to head-mounted
displays. A simpler approach may be possible in the form of a dichoptic vision system, wherein each eye receives a
different field of view (FOV) of the same scene, at different resolutions. One eye would be presented with highresolution
narrow-FOV foveal imagery, while the other would receive a much wider peripheral FOV. Binocular overlap
in the central region would provide some degree of stereoscopic depth perception. It remains to be determined, however,
if such a system would be acceptable to users, or if binocular rivalry or other adverse side-effects would degrade visual
task performance compared to conventional head-mounted binocular displays. In this paper, we describe a preliminary
dichoptic foveal/peripheral vision system and suggest methods by which its usability and performance can be assessed.
This effort was funded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Human Performance Wing under SBIR Topic
AF093-018.
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