Adapting VST AR X-ray vision techniques to OST AR

When merging physical and virtual objects with optical see-through augmented reality there is little research that has focused on x-ray vision visualizations considering depth perception. We investigate partial occlusion visualizations when merging visual cues and real-world objects to explore the effect of the visualizations with a proce-dural placement task. We adapted existing x-ray visualization techniques designed for Video See-Through (VST) Augmented Reality to operate on Optical See-Through (OST) devices and investigated how these techniques affect accuracy in a placement task within arms reach. We evaluate the visualizations' impact on accuracy when user movement is unrestricted and report the perceived usability and mental load of each visualization. Our findings indicate that although the type of x-ray visualization is important, the presence of other virtual objects in the scene appears to have a stronger impact on the users' accuracy in placing objects and user experience Refereed/Peer-reviewed