Virtual environments enable navigation researchers to achieve both control and ecological validity in naturalistic settings, while also providing the flexibility to construct multiple environments quickly and easily.
Virtual environments allow us to study the visual behavior of people with low vision, which can inform AR assistive technologies designed to enhance the natural senses. Furthermore, through the use of immersive VR, we can simulate the visual experience of people implanted with a retinal prosthesis and discover novel image encoding strategies that improve orientation and mobility.
Ambulatory exploration of virtual reality allows us to expose humans to completely novel environments, and examine in detail whether behavioral responses to these new spaces may relate to physiological changes.
Understanding verbal and non-verbal interpersonal communication in VR, combined with measures of physiological stress, provides insight into human response to difficult situations.
