The Funneling Effect: A prototype implementation of an illusory sense of touch in virtual reality

Abstract

This paper implements the “funneling illusion” in immersive virtual reality. The aim is to create a richer user experience by incorporating multiple senses, as well as, improving the sense of presence and sense of body ownership. In the future, we will experimentally test the hypothesis that vibrotactile stimuli delivered by two separate handheld VR controllers can elicit an “out-of-the-body” illusory sense of touch in virtual reality.