Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!uwm.edu!ogicse!milton!hlab From: sfp@mars.ornl.gov (Phil Spelt) Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds Subject: Re: limiting human DEGREES? Message-ID: <1991Apr3.060530.4796@milton.u.washington.edu> Date: 2 Apr 91 18:14:28 GMT References: <1991Mar30.022253.25376@milton.u.washington.edu> Sender: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu (Human Int. Technology Lab) Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab Lines: 66 Approved: cyberoid@milton.u.washington.edu >Subject: limiting human DEGREES? >Message-ID: <1991Mar30.022253.25376@milton.u.washington.edu> >Date: 27 Mar 91 01:10:37 GMT >Sender: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu (Human Int. Technology Lab) >Organization: *STUCK* at UofD for 3 mo' months >Sorry to diverge from Woman in VR :-} BUT, in the process of developing >a VR platform, I've come across an interesting question. What are the >human limiting degrees in vision and hearing? What's that mean? What >is our total range of vision? 180 degrees? That depends on the person -- some of us have wider peripheral vision than others. Generally speaking, the monocular field of vision is about 90 - 115 degrees: about 60 degrees to the nasal side of the field, and about 85 degrees to the ear (outside). These last are maximum values. Thus, 85 for the left eye (to the left ear) plus 85 for the right eye (to the right ear) gives about 165 degrees MAXIMUM peripheral vision (on the average, without moving the eyeballs at all). There is also about a 120 degree (60 degrees on ei ther side of "dead ahead") for binocular overlap -- where both eyes "see" the same things. > What about an individual >_human_ eye? How much overlap is there between the two eyes? I think I answered these questions above. >How about hearing? Can each ear hear 360 degrees or does the meat get in >way? (something about overlap inadvertently deleated). Hearing is a different story, as the ear(s) do not have to be "pointed at"j the source of sound. Hearing is much less "spatial" than vision -- the sense of hearing better integrates over time (vision integrates over space). There is a complex wave-form analysis done by the ears in order to localize the source o f sound. Thus, when a sound source is NOT "dead ahead", the sound waves reach the two ears slightly out-of-phase. This, plus the slight difference in loudness (actually, sound pressure on teh ear drunms) enables us to localize sou nd spatially. We are really pretty good at localizing sound this way, given the fact that humans are primarily visual animals. >can be reduced if I only want to render the right eye, etc. As a >friend stated, "Good software will allow everything or better yet, >should be thought of NOT DISALLOWING ANYTHING!". I need these values >so that the tests could be run using the senses I'm most familiar with >(mine) before I go onto FLY-like vision (-: Any info would be greatly >appreciated. THANKS! >- Mike (almquist@brahms.udel.edu) I would suggest (RECOMMEND) a good text on human perception, followed by one on human factors, before you get too far into your work. Hope this helps. ============================================================================= MIND. A mysterious form of matter secreted by the brain. Its chief activity consists in the endeavor to asscertain its own nature, the futility of the attempt being due to the fact that it has nothing but itself to know itself with. -- Ambrose Bierce ============================================================================= Phil Spelt, Cognitive Systems & Human Factors Group sfp@epm.ornl.gov ============================================================================ Any opinions expressed or implied are my own, IF I choose to own up to them. ============================================================================