Cross-modal Illusion of 'Weak' Tactile Sensation using See-Through HMD

Abstract

The paper introduce a cross-modal illusion of 'weak' tactile sensation. The illusion is induced by image of virtual object that is superimposed on observers' hands using a see-through Head Mounted Display (HMD). Observers can feel the weak tactile sensation with touching and moving the virtual object. This paper reports an experimental evaluation and questionnaire survey of the characteristics of this illusion. The results showed that three dimensional position of the contact of virtual object affected the occurrence of illusion. Furthermore, the results of surveys suggested that the illusion may cause not only the weak tactile but also the warm-cold or wind sensations.