A geometric model of spatial distortions in virtual and augmented environments

The 3D structure of a virtual or augmented scene is affected by distortions that can affect the natural fruition of the experience. Here, we consider the distortions of the spatial layout of virtual scenes, specifically the underestimation of egocentric distances, as experienced by users.The aim of our work is to develop a computer vision based modeling that is able to describe such an underestimation. In particular, we propose that the spatial misperception has origin from the fact that the world is seen by a user through an uncalibrated camera, thus producing a virtual view of a distorted space for him/her. The proposed geometric model is able to explain the experimental evidence of the egocentric distance underestimation that is reported in the literature.