FlexiCamAR: Enhancing Everyday Camera Interactions on AR Glasses with a Flexible Additional Viewpoint

TL;DR

FlexiCamAR introduces a flexible, finger-mounted secondary camera for AR glasses, improving usability and expanding application scenarios by providing alternative viewpoints.

Contribution

This paper presents a novel finger-mounted ring camera prototype and demonstrates its effectiveness in enhancing AR interactions over traditional front-facing cameras.

Findings

FlexiCamAR reduces physical load during tasks.

Participants found FlexiCamAR useful for low-angle and confined space views.

Potential applications include selfies, video calls, and object scanning.

Abstract

The recent emergence and popularity of consumer-grade augmented reality (AR) glasses from major technology companies highlight their potential to become the next daily computing platform. A dominant design trend in this context is the integration of a front-facing camera to deliver a first-person perspective. While this approach is intuitive, there is limited evidence that it is optimal (or sufficient) for supporting users in daily tasks. This paper explores a more effective camera interaction technique for AR glasses, which we term ``FlexiCamAR." This novel method aims to enhance both efficiency and the range of applications for AR glasses by offering flexible and comfortable secondary camera viewpoints. To investigate the applicability and usability of this approach, we developed a ring camera prototype that can be attached to users' fingers. We then conducted a user study with 12 participants, comparing FlexiCamAR against the baseline, a traditional front-facing AR camera setup, across two common tasks: taking photos and scanning QR codes. Our findings show that FlexiCamAR significantly reduces physical load. We also explore potential scenarios where the additional viewpoint afforded by FlexiCamAR proves valuable, such as capturing low-angle perspectives or navigating confined spaces. Participant feedback further suggests strong potential for additional applications, including selfie taking, video conferencing, and object scanning. Overall, FlexiCamAR presents a novel interaction approach that can serve as a powerful supplement or alternative to the first-person perspective, significantly improving the adaptability of AR glasses for everyday use.