Heartbeat Manipulation on Embodied Avatar

Abstract

Biological information such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure are often used in clinical settings to assess human health and physiological states. The sensory representation of these internal physiological states in human beings is referred as the interoception, which is closely linked to self-awareness and emotions. Hence, better understanding of the interoception is crucial in medical practice and has garnered significant attention. However, it is difficult and unintuitive for laypersons to accurately read and understand the interoception as well as physiological states from the numerical biological information obtained by various sensors. In the present study, we conducted using a virtual reality system. Specifically, we attempted to visualize and manipulate the interoception by presenting heartbeats in a form where the internal representation of embodied avatar is visualized and peeked into.