AR You on Track? Investigating Effects of Augmented Reality Anchoring on Dual-Task Performance While Walking

TL;DR

This study investigates how AR content anchoring (hand, head, torso) and virtual task difficulty interact to affect walking and cognitive performance in dynamic, on-the-go scenarios. Using a within-subject 2x2x3 design plus a walking baseline, 26 participants performed a color-n-back task while following a dynamically illuminated path, with gait metrics, response times, accuracy, and workload captured. Head anchoring generally supported both walking and virtual-task performance with lower workload, while hand anchoring slowed both tasks but reduced misses under high virtual demand; torso anchoring tended to impair virtual performance and alter gait, suggesting limited utility in dynamic walking contexts. The findings offer practical guidance for designing safe and efficient mobile AR experiences, highlighting anchoring as a key lever to balance cognitive load and physical performance in everyday use.

Abstract

With the increasing spread of AR head-mounted displays suitable for everyday use, interaction with information becomes ubiquitous, even while walking. However, this requires constant shifts of our attention between walking and interacting with virtual information to fulfill both tasks adequately. Accordingly, we as a community need a thorough understanding of the mutual influences of walking and interacting with digital information to design safe yet effective interactions. Thus, we systematically investigate the effects of different AR anchors (hand, head, torso) and task difficulties on user experience and performance. We engage participants (n=26) in a dual-task paradigm involving a visual working memory task while walking. We assess the impact of dual-tasking on both virtual and walking performance, and subjective evaluations of mental and physical load. Our results show that head-anchored AR content least affected walking while allowing for fast and accurate virtual task interaction, while hand-anchored content increased reaction times and workload.

Figures (27)

• Figure 1: The three independent variables of our study Walking Task (No Walking / Walking), Virtual Task Difficulty (1-back / 2-back), and AR Content Anchoring (hand / head / torso). The No Walking conditions act as baseline conditions to assess participants' single task virtual task performance. An additional walking-only condition acts as a baseline condition to assess participants' single task physical task performance.
• Figure 2: Explanation of the Stride Length and Stride Width. Stride Lenght was computed as the distance between two successive steps of the same foot, while stride width was calculated as the perpendicular distance between the feet during consecutive steps. These measures were recorded to assess changes in walking performance under varying task conditions.
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• Figure 6: Walking Error