Revisiting Audiovisual Rotation Gains for Redirected Walking

Abstract

In this paper, we present a psychophysical study exploring how spatialized sound affects perceptual detection thresholds for rotation gains during exposure to virtual environments with varying degrees of visibility. The study was based on a 2×3 factorial design, crossing two types of audio (no audio and spatialized audio) and three degrees of visibility (low, medium, and high density fog). We found no notable effects of sound spatialization or visibility on detection thresholds. Although future studies are required to empirically confirm that vision dominates audition, these results provide quantitative evidence that visual rotation gains may be robust to auditory interference. Furthermore, they suggest that rotation gains may be useful even when the virtual environment offers very limited visibility.