Real human touch: performer-facilitated touch enhances presence and embodiment in immersive performance
Despite being an embodied medium, virtual reality (VR) prioritizes vision and sound over the other senses. While touch has been demonstrated to foster a sense of presence and embodiment, most haptic research in VR focuses on uncanny vibration motors or limited experiences of touch with simple props....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Virtual Reality |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2023.1336581/full |
| _version_ | 1797315602566610944 |
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| author | John Desnoyers-Stewart Margherita Bergamo Meneghini Margherita Bergamo Meneghini Ekaterina R. Stepanova Bernhard E. Riecke |
| author_facet | John Desnoyers-Stewart Margherita Bergamo Meneghini Margherita Bergamo Meneghini Ekaterina R. Stepanova Bernhard E. Riecke |
| author_sort | John Desnoyers-Stewart |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite being an embodied medium, virtual reality (VR) prioritizes vision and sound over the other senses. While touch has been demonstrated to foster a sense of presence and embodiment, most haptic research in VR focuses on uncanny vibration motors or limited experiences of touch with simple props. Meanwhile, immersive performances such as Eve 3.0 incorporate performer-facilitated touch in novel ways to evoke a complete and social experience of human touch in VR. In response, we conducted a mixed-methods study to investigate the experience of performer-facilitated touch in a 360° video segment from the immersive performance Eve 3.0. Using a 3 × 2 factorial design, we compared touch from a diary prop and performer in festival and laboratory settings. We found that performer-facilitated touch increased realistic behaviours and questionnaire measures of social presence, embodiment, and tactile realism. The setting also had a significant effect with festival participants demonstrating significantly more behaviours indicating presence, particularly in the no-touch condition. Participant descriptions reveal that in addition to touch, a rich narrative and vivid visuals of social interaction were just as important in immersing participants in the experience and making them feel present. We find that participant experiences are a co-creation situated at the intersection of artefact and context that require a willing suspension of disbelief. The authentic setting and performance artefact afforded a deep understanding of the rich and complex experience of human touch in immersive performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:06:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-93e6fa1dfe284f55817fdbec07b0efd4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-4192 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:06:07Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Virtual Reality |
| spelling | doaj.art-93e6fa1dfe284f55817fdbec07b0efd42024-02-13T09:31:04ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Virtual Reality2673-41922024-02-01410.3389/frvir.2023.13365811336581Real human touch: performer-facilitated touch enhances presence and embodiment in immersive performanceJohn Desnoyers-Stewart0Margherita Bergamo Meneghini1Margherita Bergamo Meneghini2Ekaterina R. Stepanova3Bernhard E. Riecke4School of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, CanadaDoctoral School of Aesthetics, Sciences and Technology of the Arts, Université Paris 8, Paris, FranceCompagnie Voix, Paris, FranceSchool of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, CanadaSchool of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, CanadaDespite being an embodied medium, virtual reality (VR) prioritizes vision and sound over the other senses. While touch has been demonstrated to foster a sense of presence and embodiment, most haptic research in VR focuses on uncanny vibration motors or limited experiences of touch with simple props. Meanwhile, immersive performances such as Eve 3.0 incorporate performer-facilitated touch in novel ways to evoke a complete and social experience of human touch in VR. In response, we conducted a mixed-methods study to investigate the experience of performer-facilitated touch in a 360° video segment from the immersive performance Eve 3.0. Using a 3 × 2 factorial design, we compared touch from a diary prop and performer in festival and laboratory settings. We found that performer-facilitated touch increased realistic behaviours and questionnaire measures of social presence, embodiment, and tactile realism. The setting also had a significant effect with festival participants demonstrating significantly more behaviours indicating presence, particularly in the no-touch condition. Participant descriptions reveal that in addition to touch, a rich narrative and vivid visuals of social interaction were just as important in immersing participants in the experience and making them feel present. We find that participant experiences are a co-creation situated at the intersection of artefact and context that require a willing suspension of disbelief. The authentic setting and performance artefact afforded a deep understanding of the rich and complex experience of human touch in immersive performance.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2023.1336581/fullvirtual realitytouchperformancebehaviourpresenceembodiment |
| spellingShingle | John Desnoyers-Stewart Margherita Bergamo Meneghini Margherita Bergamo Meneghini Ekaterina R. Stepanova Bernhard E. Riecke Real human touch: performer-facilitated touch enhances presence and embodiment in immersive performance Frontiers in Virtual Reality virtual reality touch performance behaviour presence embodiment |
| title | Real human touch: performer-facilitated touch enhances presence and embodiment in immersive performance |
| title_full | Real human touch: performer-facilitated touch enhances presence and embodiment in immersive performance |
| title_fullStr | Real human touch: performer-facilitated touch enhances presence and embodiment in immersive performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Real human touch: performer-facilitated touch enhances presence and embodiment in immersive performance |
| title_short | Real human touch: performer-facilitated touch enhances presence and embodiment in immersive performance |
| title_sort | real human touch performer facilitated touch enhances presence and embodiment in immersive performance |
| topic | virtual reality touch performance behaviour presence embodiment |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2023.1336581/full |
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