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Updated: Aug 12, 2025
05:43
Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback
Published on: May 23, 2019
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Reshaping the full body illusion through visuo-electro-tactile sensations
Greta Preatoni1, Francesca Dell'Eva2, Giacomo Valle1
1Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Laboratory for Neuroengineering, Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Plos One
|February 1, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed a new multisensory platform using Virtual Reality (VR) and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) to study the Full Body Illusion (FBI). This advanced setup precisely controls sensory cues, improving objective measures of body perception.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Human Perception
Background:
- The sense of self is not fixed by physical body boundaries but is neurally constructed from sensory input.
- The Full Body Illusion (FBI) is a key paradigm for studying body perception, but traditional setups have limitations in control and measurement.
- Previous FBI studies relied on subjective reports or inconsistent objective measures, hindering reliable results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel multisensory platform for controlled investigation of body perception.
- To overcome limitations of previous Full Body Illusion (FBI) setups regarding experimental control and outcome measures.
- To explore the neural basis of body representation using precise visual and haptic cue manipulation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Virtual Reality (VR) for high-precision visual cue delivery.
- Employed Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for controlled haptic feedback.
- Developed a multisensory platform integrating VR and TENS for precise, synchronized sensory stimulation.
- Tested FBI elicitation across single and multiple limb stimulation conditions.
Main Results:
- The VR-TENS platform successfully elicited the Full Body Illusion (FBI) with high spatial and temporal precision.
- The new platform yielded significant results across all objective measurements, surpassing previous methods.
- FBI could be induced through multimodal stimulation of all four limbs or even a single limb.
Conclusions:
- The developed neuroscientific platform offers a robust tool for investigating body representations.
- A comprehensive set of objective and subjective measures is crucial for reliable body perception research.
- Precise multimodal sensory integration, even with single-limb stimulation, plays a significant role in body ownership.
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