A Comparative Study Between a Large Screen and an HMD Using Wind Representations in Virtual Reality

In this article, we investigated the representation of wind in urban spaces through computational fluid dynamics simulations in virtual environments (VE). We compared wind perception (force and direction) as well as the sense of presence and embodiment in VE using different display technologies: head-mounted displays (HMD) and large screens, with or without an avatar. The tactile display was found to be most effective for detecting wind characteristics and enhancing presence and embodiment in virtual scenes, regardless of display type. Wind force and overall presence showed no significant differences between projection methods, but the perception of wind direction varied, which can be attributed to the head tracking of the HMD. In addition, gender differences emerged: females had a 7.42% higher presence on large screens, while males had a 23.13% higher presence with HMD (avatar present). These results highlight nuances in wind perception, the influence of technology, and gender differences in VE.