Design and Calibration of an Augmented Reality Haploscope

Most augmented reality (AR) research is performed with commercially-available displays. However, these displays have unadjustable mechanical and optical properties, which limit the experimental questions that can be asked. In order to ask certain questions, it becomes necessary to build a custom display, using off-the-shelf optical components. In the field of visual perception, such devices are often developed, and are called haploscopes. In this paper, we describe the mechanical design of an AR haploscope, which can present virtual objects seen in augmented reality. In order to make accurate measurements, the haploscope must be carefully calibrated, but this calibration is quite difficult. Therefore, this abstract contributes a description of an AR haploscope, and outlines calibration procedures.