VR Experience • 2017
ZEISS Vision Science Lab
Central Vision Loss Simulation
To present their field of research at a company trade fare, ZEISS' Vision Science Lab was searching for a compelling way to raise awareness on the difficulties of living with an eye disorder like scotoma or cataract.
NMY developed a gamified VR simulation that enabled visitors to virtually experience central vision loss while performing a common activity. I was the lead designer on the project.
Concept, Art Direction, UX/UI Design, UI & Animations in Unity
About the project
What better way to understand the difficulties of living with an eye-disorder is there, than to experience it yourself – at least for a couple of minutes? What better solution for this task, than a VR simulation? Visitors enter a futuristic research facility of the ZEISS Vision Science Lab and are challenged to compete for the highest score in a game of ping-pong. But not before choosing one of two eye disorders, a scotoma or a cataract. They are greeted by a virtual assistant that guides them through the experience. After accustoming themselves to the virtual racket in a training round, the simulation of the eye disease is initiated and players now have to try and score as many points as possible by hitting various target areas on the opposite side of the table. To make the simulation as accurate as possible, headsets with SMI eye-tracking were used, allowing the simulated visual distortions to follow the user's eye movements on the screen. In the last round, players are equipped with special glasses that might in the future be able to partly correct the simulated distortions. After the time is up, scores of the different rounds are displayed to compare one's performance with and without the handicap. In addition to the trade show experience, ZEISS and NMY are continuing to work on VR simulations of central vision loss eye disorders within the bounds of the BMBF funded research project "IDeA - Integrated Diagnosis & e-Assistance System for AMD Patients".
A virtual assistant in the form of a friendly AI drone guides the players through the VR experience. A control system was developed in which a position in space can be combined with text messages and an expression animation to choreograph the assistant's actions throughout the experience flow.
Ping-pong served as a common activity easily adapted to VR and intuitively understood by most players, that also demands a lot of hand-eye coordination to clearly illustrate the constraints of the handicap. Still, a lot of time was spent adjusting the ball physics and target areas to create an authentic and fun ping-pong simulation.
