Evoking realistic affective touch experiences in virtual reality
This research addresses the problem of creating realistic affective touch experiences in VR for applications in social interaction and therapy, though it is incremental in building on existing multisensory feedback studies.
The study investigated how different types of multisensory feedback affect emotional and physiological responses to being caressed in virtual reality, finding that visuotactile feedback (ultrasound or real touch) enhanced the illusion of being touched and embodiment compared to visual-only feedback, with real interpersonal touch producing the strongest behavioral and emotional responses.
This study aims to better understand the emotional and physiological correlates of being caressed in VR depending on the type of multisensory feedback provided and the animate or inanimate nature of the virtual representation that touches an embodied virtual body. We evaluated how pleasure, arousal, embodiment, and the illusion of being touched in VR were influenced by the inclusion of only visual feedback compared to visuotactile stimulation conditions, where participants, in addition to seeing an avatar or feather caressing their virtual bodies, also perceived congruent mid-air ultrasonic tactile stimulation or real interpersonal touch. We found that visuotactile feedback, either based on ultrasound or real interpersonal touch, boosts the illusion of being affectively touched and embodied in a virtual body compared to conditions only based on visual feedback. However, real interpersonal touch led to the strongest behavioral and emotional responses compared to the other conditions. Moreover, arousal and the desire to withdraw the caressed hand was highest when being touched by a female avatar compared to a virtual feather. Female participants reported a stronger illusion of being caressed in VR compared to males. Overall, this study advances knowledge of the emotional and physiological impact of affective touch in VR.