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In a recent study, two dart-throwing experiments were carried out to investigate the impact of augmented reality (AR) motion stimuli on participants’ performance. Here is a breakdown of the key aspects of the study:

Participants

• The study involved 40 participants aged 19-28 years, with 3 women included.
• Participants had normal or corrected-to-normal vision, no neurological or psychiatric conditions, and were not expert dart players.
• The group consisted of 5 left-handed and 35 right-handed participants.
• Participants were split into Experiment 1 (n=20) and Experiment 2 (n=20), with varying patterns of AR motion stimuli presented.

Apparatus

• A soft dartboard was used at a height of 1.73m, with a distance of 2.44m from the throwing line.
• Participants threw standard plastic-tipped darts wearing an AR HMD (HoloLens 2) with specific FOVs.
• Darts were equipped with reflective markers for tracking with a motion capture system.

Experimental Procedure

• The study compared the impact of AR-based motion stimuli with randomly generated spheres to a non-sphere presentation condition.
• Participants went through 10 blocks in Experiments 1 and 2, each consisting of four rounds with three dart throws per round.
• Conditions were randomized within each block to prevent bias, and transitions were managed by the experimenter.
• Participants practiced with the dart-throwing task before the experiment.
• The study design and procedures were approved by the Ethics Review Board of the National Defense Academy of Japan.

HMD Coordinate Calibration

• Prior to the experiments, participants underwent a calibration process for the AR HMD coordinate, ensuring accurate tracking for the study.
• The calibration procedure involved aligning a green center cross with the dartboard, adjusting the system for accuracy.

Motion Stimulus

• Randomly generated spheres with specific motion patterns were used for the AR stimuli.
• The motions included random, expansion, combined random, leftward, contraction, and diagonal expansion patterns.
• Each pattern had a unique speed, direction, and trajectory, impacting participants’ dart-throwing performance.

Data Analyses

• Aiming performance, error, and variance were examined across different motion patterns using a standard bootstrap technique.
• Statistical tests such as Mann-Whitney U test and ANOVA were conducted to evaluate differences in dart performance among participants and motion patterns.
• Post-hoc analyses were performed to compare the effects of each optic flow pattern to the control condition.

In conclusion, the study shed light on the effects of AR-based motion stimuli on dart-throwing performance, providing valuable insights into motion perception and performance outcomes.