Description

Haptic illusions occur when people experience the sensation of touch through non-tactile senses like vision or hearing. For example, visual manipulation of hand movements can evoke perceptions of weight, stiffness, or friction-even in the absence of actual physical feedback. This project investigates a compelling question: Can haptic illusions still occur when individuals view themselves from a third-person perspective or interact through a virtual avatar? You'll explore how immersive VR environments and avatar-based interactions influence the perception of haptic feedback. The work will involve experimental design, development in virtual reality, and user studies.

You will Gain

• Hands-on experience in cutting-edge VR research
• Skills in multimodal perception and human-computer interaction
• An opportunity to contribute to the scientific understanding of virtual embodiment and haptics

Requirements / Willingness to Learn:

• VR development experience using Unity3D
• Familiarity with Meta Quest devices
• Interest in learning how to control haptic interfaces, such as the Novint Falcon

References

• Yannick Weiss, Steeven Villa, Albrecht Schmidt, Sven Mayer, Florian Muller. 2023. Using Pseudo-Stiffness to Enrich the Haptic Experience in Virtual Reality.
• Albrecht Schmidt Augmenting Human Intellect and Amplifying Perception and Cognition