"One Body, But Four Hands": Exploring the Role of Virtual Hands in Virtual Co-embodiment

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Virtual co-embodiment in VR enables shared avatars for skill transfer, impacting Sense of Ownership (SoO) and Sense of Agency (SoA).
• Mismatches in virtual reality movement display can hinder user experience and learning effectiveness.
• The visual factors of co-embodied hands in VR are underexplored concerning their influence on user perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of virtual self-hands' existence on SoO, SoA, and social presence in VR co-embodiment.
• To examine the effects of virtual hand transparency and congruency on SoO, SoA, and social presence.
• To provide design insights for optimizing virtual hand appearance in VR co-embodiment scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Conducted two user studies in a virtual reality environment.
• Evaluated the effects of virtual self-hands' presence, transparency, and congruency.
• Measured user experience through Sense of Ownership (SoO), Sense of Agency (SoA), and social presence.

Main Results:

• The existence of virtual self-hands significantly improved SoO and SoA.
• Identical visual appearances between self-hands and co-embodied hands substantially enhanced SoO.
• Transparency and congruency of virtual hands were identified as critical factors influencing user perception.

Conclusions:

• Virtual self-hands are crucial for enhancing user experience in VR co-embodiment.
• Visual congruency of hands significantly boosts Sense of Ownership, vital for effective skill transfer.
• Findings offer valuable design guidelines for creating more immersive and effective VR co-embodiment experiences.