How Video Passthrough Headsets Influence Perception of Self and Others.

With the increasing adoption of mixed reality (MR) headsets with video passthrough functionality, concerns over perceptual and social effects have surfaced. Building on prior qualitative findings,¹ this study quantitatively investigates the impact of video passthrough on users. Forty participants completed a body transfer task twice, once while wearing a headset in video passthrough and once without a headset. Using video passthrough induced simulator sickness, created social absence (another person in the physical room feels less present), altered self-reported body schema, and distorted distance perception. On the other hand, compared with past research that showed perceptual aftereffects from video passthrough, the current study found none. We discuss the broader implications for the widespread adoption of MR headsets and their impact on theories surrounding presence and body transfer.