Using Virtual Objects With Hand-Tracking: The Effects of Visual Congruence and Mid-Air Haptics on Sense of Agency

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality
• Psychology

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) enables direct interaction through hand-tracking, bypassing traditional controllers.
• Previous research focused on user-avatar dynamics; this study investigates avatar-object relationships.
• Sense of agency (SoA) is crucial for user experience in interactive virtual environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the avatar-object relationship in VR by manipulating visual congruence and haptic feedback.
• To examine the impact of these manipulations on the sense of agency (SoA).

Main Methods:

• Investigated the effects of visual congruence and haptic feedback on virtual objects during hand-tracked interaction.
• Measured both implicit and explicit sense of agency (SoA) responses.

Main Results:

• Implicit SoA was not significantly altered by visual congruence or haptic feedback manipulations.
• Explicit SoA was significantly influenced: mid-air haptics strengthened it, while visual incongruence weakened it.
• Findings suggest a nuanced role of sensory cues in shaping the subjective experience of control.

Conclusions:

• Visual congruence and haptic feedback play distinct roles in modulating explicit sense of agency in VR.
• Cue integration theory provides a framework for understanding these SoA variations.
• Results offer valuable insights for designing more immersive and intuitive human-computer interaction (HCI) experiences.