Psychophysical Influence on Position and Width of Temperature Perception by Mixed-Reality Visual Stimulation

Abstract

In Mixed-Realty (MR) space, the visual appearance (shape, texture, etc.) of a real object can be changed by superimposing a virtual object on it. Therefore, by creating systematic differences between visual and haptic perceptions using MR technology, we can analyze their influence on temperature perception. In our research group, we defined the changes in the visual information of a real object in MR space as “MR visual stimulation” and examine the influence of the haptic sense using MR visual stimulation. For our research, we focused on the temperature perception of the skin. In the first step, we verified the influence presenting MR visual stimulation has on the perceived position of the temperature perception. In the experiment, we presented MR visual stimulation and temperature stimulation in different positions. We confirmed the influence this difference has on the temperature perceived position. Our results demonstrate that temperature perception is strongly affected by visual stimulation.