As an application of Virtual Reality (VR) technology, VR programs have been proposed to simulate on-site experiences, such as practical training, in a virtual environment. To make users feel as if they are actually experiencing these activities in the virtual environment, it is important to design the program to increase the sense of body ownership and presence. However, in practical applications of such VR programs, little is known about the negative effects of using consumer-grade VR devices with limited tracking capabilities on body ownership and presence, and about methods to mitigate these effects. Limitations in tracking capabilities can cause discrepancies in the positional alignment of body parts between the user and their avatar, leading to incongruence between visual information and tactile feedback when users touch their own bodies. Developing methods to mitigate the effects of such inconsistent self-touch is essential for making VR programs accessible at the consumer level. The purpose of this study is to investigate the negative effects of incongruent self-touch on the sense of body ownership and presence and to develop a novel method to mitigate these effects by using visual effects to blur the areas where self-touch occurs. The results of the preliminary experiment suggest that VR devices with low tracking capabilities negatively effect the quality of the VR program experience, and the proposed method utilizing visual effects to mitigate this impact has shown potential effectiveness.

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Blurring Self-touch Improves Sense of Body Ownership in Incongruence Between VR Avatar and Real User’s Body Part

  • Kodai Hiramatsu,
  • Tomonori Kubota,
  • Satoshi Sato,
  • Kohei Ogawa

摘要

As an application of Virtual Reality (VR) technology, VR programs have been proposed to simulate on-site experiences, such as practical training, in a virtual environment. To make users feel as if they are actually experiencing these activities in the virtual environment, it is important to design the program to increase the sense of body ownership and presence. However, in practical applications of such VR programs, little is known about the negative effects of using consumer-grade VR devices with limited tracking capabilities on body ownership and presence, and about methods to mitigate these effects. Limitations in tracking capabilities can cause discrepancies in the positional alignment of body parts between the user and their avatar, leading to incongruence between visual information and tactile feedback when users touch their own bodies. Developing methods to mitigate the effects of such inconsistent self-touch is essential for making VR programs accessible at the consumer level. The purpose of this study is to investigate the negative effects of incongruent self-touch on the sense of body ownership and presence and to develop a novel method to mitigate these effects by using visual effects to blur the areas where self-touch occurs. The results of the preliminary experiment suggest that VR devices with low tracking capabilities negatively effect the quality of the VR program experience, and the proposed method utilizing visual effects to mitigate this impact has shown potential effectiveness.