a first person avatar system with haptic feedback
We describe a system that shows how to substitute a person's body in virtual reality by a virtual body (or avatar). The avatar is seen from a first person perspective, moves as the person moves and the system generates touch on the real person's body when the avatar is touched. Such replacement of the person's real body by a virtual body requires a wide field-of-view head-mounted display, real-time whole body tracking, and tactile feedback. We show how to achieve this with a variety of off-the-shelf hardware and software, and also custom systems for real-time avatar rendering and collision detection. We present an overview of the system and detail on some of its components. We provide examples of how such a system is being used in some of our current experimental studies of embodiment.
avatars haptic feedback virtual embodiement immersive virtual reality full body motion tracking