research-article

Ambiotherm: Enhancing Sense of Presence in Virtual Reality by Simulating Real-World Environmental Conditions

Authors:

Nimesha Ranasinghe,

Shienny Karwita,

Ellen Yi-Luen DoAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Pages 1731 - 1742

https://doi.org/10.1145/3025453.3025723

Published: 02 May 2017 Publication History

Abstract

In this paper, we present and evaluate Ambiotherm, a wearable accessory for Head Mounted Displays (HMD) that provides thermal and wind stimuli to simulate real-world environmental conditions, such as ambient temperatures and wind conditions, to enhance the sense of presence in Virtual Reality (VR). Ambiotherm consists of a Ambient Temperature Module that is attached to the user's neck, a Wind Simulation Module focused towards the user's face, and a Control Module utilizing Bluetooth communication. We demonstrate Ambiotherm with two VR environments, a hot desert, and a snowy mountain, to showcase the different types of simulated environmental conditions. We conduct several studies to 1) address design factors of the system and 2) evaluate Ambiotherm's effect on factors related to a user's sense of presence. Our findings show that the addition of wind and thermal stimuli significantly improves sensory and realism factors, contributing towards an enhanced sense of presence when compared to traditional VR experiences.

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Cited By

Christopoulos AStyliou MNtalas NStylios C(2024)The Impact of Immersive Virtual Reality on Knowledge Acquisition and Adolescent Perceptions in Cultural EducationInformation10.3390/info1505026115:5(261)Online publication date: 3-May-2024
https://doi.org/10.3390/info15050261
Shirazi SKhan RYousaf NSahar N(2024)Issues, Challenges, and Solutions in Data Acquisition in Virtual and Augmented Reality EnvironmentsVFAST Transactions on Software Engineering10.21015/vtse.v12i2.184912:2(213-230)Online publication date: 30-Jun-2024
https://doi.org/10.21015/vtse.v12i2.1849
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Index Terms

Ambiotherm: Enhancing Sense of Presence in Virtual Reality by Simulating Real-World Environmental Conditions
1. Information systems
  1. Information systems applications
    1. Multimedia information systems

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

May 2017

7138 pages

ISBN:9781450346559

DOI:10.1145/3025453

General Chairs:
Gloria Mark
University of California Irvine
,
Susan Fussell
Cornell University
,
Program Chairs:
Cliff Lampe
University of Michigan
,
m.c. schraefel
University of Southampton
,
Juan Pablo Hourcade
University of Iowa
,
Caroline Appert
Université Paris-Sud
,
Daniel Wigdor
University of Toronto

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Published: 02 May 2017

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Cited By

Christopoulos AStyliou MNtalas NStylios C(2024)The Impact of Immersive Virtual Reality on Knowledge Acquisition and Adolescent Perceptions in Cultural EducationInformation10.3390/info1505026115:5(261)Online publication date: 3-May-2024
https://doi.org/10.3390/info15050261
Shirazi SKhan RYousaf NSahar N(2024)Issues, Challenges, and Solutions in Data Acquisition in Virtual and Augmented Reality EnvironmentsVFAST Transactions on Software Engineering10.21015/vtse.v12i2.184912:2(213-230)Online publication date: 30-Jun-2024
https://doi.org/10.21015/vtse.v12i2.1849
Dawes CXue JBrianza GCornelio PMontano Murillo RMaggioni EObrist M(2024)ScentHaptics: Augmenting the Haptic Experiences of Digital Mid-Air Textiles with ScentProceedings of the 26th International Conference on Multimodal Interaction10.1145/3678957.3685715(47-56)Online publication date: 4-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3678957.3685715
Nasser AHasan K(2024)ThermoGrasp: Enabling Localized Thermal Feedback on Fingers for Precision Grasps in Virtual RealityProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36765268:MHCI(1-21)Online publication date: 24-Sep-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3676526
Cheng LJia HYu LWu YYe SDeng DZhang HXie XWu Y(2024)VisCourt: In-Situ Guidance for Interactive Tactic Training in Mixed RealityProceedings of the 37th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology10.1145/3654777.3676466(1-14)Online publication date: 13-Oct-2024
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Wang HSinghal YGil HKim J(2024)Fiery Hands: Designing Thermal Glove through Thermal and Tactile Integration for Virtual Object ManipulationProceedings of the 37th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology10.1145/3654777.3676457(1-15)Online publication date: 13-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3654777.3676457
Shen VHarrison CShultz C(2024)Expressive, Scalable, Mid-air Haptics with Synthetic JetsACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/363515031:2(1-28)Online publication date: 29-Jan-2024
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Günther SSkogseide ABuhlmann RMühlhäuser M(2024)Assessing the Influence of Visual Cues in Virtual Reality on the Spatial Perception of Physical Thermal StimuliProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642154(1-12)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642154
Hamazaki TTakami TUshiyama KMizoguchi IKajimoto H(2024)ALCool: Utilizing Alcohol's Evaporative Cooling for Ubiquitous Cold Sensation FeedbackProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642113(1-14)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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Ito KHosoi JTakanohashi KBan YWarisawa S(2024)Clothes Vibration Device for Producing Tactile Stimuli to Evoke the Perception of Strong Wind2024 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR)10.1109/ISMAR62088.2024.00143(1266-1275)Online publication date: 21-Oct-2024
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