Distance Estimation in Virtual Reality Is Affected by Both the Virtual and the Real-World Environments

The experience in virtual reality (VR) is unique, in that observers are in a real-world location while browsing through a virtual scene. Previous studies have investigated the effect of the virtual environment on distance estimation. However, it is unclear how the real-world environment influences distance estimation in VR. Here, we measured the distance estimation using a bisection (Experiment 1) and a blind-walking (Experiments 2 and 3) method. Participants performed distance judgments in VR, which rendered either virtual indoor or outdoor scenes. Experiments were also carried out in either real-world indoor or outdoor locations. In the bisection experiment, judged distance in virtual outdoor was greater than that in virtual indoor. However, the real-world environment had no impact on distance judgment estimated by bisection. In the blind-walking experiment, judged distance in real-world outdoor was greater than that in real-world indoor. On the other hand, the virtual environment had no impact on distance judgment estimated by blind-walking. Generally, our results suggest that both the virtual and real-world environments have an impact on distance judgment in VR. Especially, the real-world environment where a person is physically located during a VR experience influences the person’s distance estimation in VR.