Interocular conflict from a monocular augmented reality display: Impact of visual characteristics on performance

In monocular see-through augmented reality systems, each eye is stimulated differently by a monocular image that is superimposed on the binocular background. This can impair binocular fusion, due to interocular conflict. As a function of visual characteristics, the latter can have a greater or lesser impact on user comfort and performance. This study tested several visual characteristics of a binocular background and a monocular element during an exposure that reproduced the interocular conflict induced by a monocular see-through near-eye display. The aim was to identify which factors impact the user’s performance. Performance was measured as target tracking and event detection, identification, fixation time, and latency. Our results demonstrate that performance is a function of the binocular background. Furthermore, exogenous attentional stimulation, in the form of a pulse with different levels of contrast applied to the monocular display, appears to preserve performance in most background conditions.