IN SEARCH OF AMBIENT VISION

Dr. Fred H. PrevicLitton/TASC

Recent Trends in SD Research San Antonio TX

15 Nov 00

AMBIENT VISION: Background

• Term first coined in 1968

• “ … Subserves spatial localization and [spatial] orientation”

• Known as “where” system

• Contrasted with “focal” vision

AMBIENT VISION: Location

Action Extrapersonal

(topographical)

Peripersonal(reaching)

Ambient Extrapersonal(earth-fixed)

Focal Extrapersonal

(saccadic)

Previc (1998)

AMBIENT VISION: General Features

• Area-dependent (biased toward peripheral eccentricities)

AMBIENT VISION: Peripheral Dependence

110o55o

Previc & Neel (1995)

AMBIENT VISION: General Features

• Dominated by visual background

• Prefers relatively sluggish inputs (<0.2 Hz)

• Contributes to self-motion, sense of upright, slant perception

• Area-dependent (biased toward peripheral eccentricities)

AMBIENT VISION: Functions

Self-motion perception

Sense of upright

Slant perception

AMBIENT VISION: General Features

• Most dependent on background

• Prefers relatively sluggish inputs (<0.2 Hz)

• Contributes to self-motion, sense of upright, slant perception

• Area-dependent (biased toward peripheral eccentricities)

• Mainly preconscious system

AMBIENT VISION: Problems in its Recreation

AMBIENT VISION: Problems in its Recreation

ASDD visual system(114o, nearly collimated)

AMBIENT VISION: Problems in its Recreation

Failure to achieve “visual dominance”

ASDD visual system(114o, nearly collimated)

AMBIENT VISION: Problems in its Recreation

Previc et al. (1992)

AMBIENT VISION: Problems in its Recreation

Previc et al. (1992)

AMBIENT VISION: Problems in its Recreation

Otakeno et al. (in preparation)

AMBIENT VISION: Problems in its Recreation

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eg) Pilots

Non-pilots

Day NightBlank

Otakeno et al. (in preparation)

AMBIENT VISION: Problems in its Recreation

35o 115o

Near

Coplanar

Far

Near

Coplanar

Far

Previc et al. (in press)

AMBIENT VISION: Problems in its Recreation

35o 115o

Near

Coplanar

Far

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Coplanar

Far

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VISUAL BACKGROUND

NearCoplanarFar

Previc et al. (in press)

• Relatively greater distance, FOV (“beyond frame-of-motion”)

• “Believability”• Sufficient temporal resolution (>100 Hz?),• Spatial resolution (1 min of arc resolution?)• Realistic scene content

• No conflicting depth cues or lags

AMBIENT VISION: What Recreates It?

• Relatively greater distance, FOV (“beyond frame-of-motion”)

• “Believability”• Sufficient temporal resolution (>100 Hz),• Spatial resolution (<1 min)• Realistic scene content

• No conflicting depth cues or lags

AMBIENT VISION: What Recreates It?

Painted surrounds (e.g., optokinetic chamber, room, or tilt-translation device) work better

than computer displays!

Action Extrapersonal

Focal Extrapersonal

PeripersonalAmbient

Extrapersonal

AMBIENT VISION: Brain Mechanisms

Previc (1998)

AMBIENT VISION: Brain Mechanisms

Previc et al. (2000)

wide-FOV motion

wide-FOV motion

AMBIENT VISION: Brain Mechanisms

Previc et al. (2000)

wide-FOV motion

wide-FOV motion wayfinding

AMBIENT VISION: Brain Mechanisms

Previc et al. (2000)

AMBIENT VISION: Brain MechanismsCoherent vs.

incoherent

AMBIENT VISION: Brain Mechanisms

RIGHT

L

insula

L temporal (BA 37)

L KO

R V5/MT

R parahippocampus &hippocampus

L frontal (ant. cing.)

R amygdala

R pulvinar

V1/V2dorsalcuneus

L V5/MT

L midbrain tegmentum

LEFT

R anteriorcerebellum

Coherent vs. incoherent

Coherent vs. incoherent (Beer et al., 2000)

AMBIENT VISION: Brain MechanismsCoherent vs.

incoherent

RIGHT

L

insula

L temporal (BA 37)

L KO

R V5/MT

R parahippocampus &hippocampus

L frontal (ant. cing.)

R amygdala

R pulvinar

V1/V2dorsalcuneus

L V5/MT

L midbrain tegmentum

LEFT

R anteriorcerebellum

Coherent vs. incoherent (Beer et al., in prep.)

CCW vs. CW

AMBIENT VISION: Brain Mechanisms

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Numberof

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Left Right

Hemisphere

MinimaMaxima

Right - Left Visual Yaw (Previc et al., in press)

AMBIENT VISION: Its Footprints?

AMBIENT VISION: Summary

• Ambient vision mostly relies on wide-FOV, distant inputs

• Ambient vision dependent on preconscious inferences

• Current computer-generated displays can only partially duplicate ambient vision

• Ambient vision uses separate visual pathways; may ultimately prove to be a highly distributed system