Impact of Synchronizing Visual Cues With Switch of Foot Contact State on the Presence of Virtual Flight While Seated

Providing extraordinary experiences is an important aspect of virtual reality (VR). Among these unusual experiences, flying in the sky has been investigated in various studies that propose methods for providing this experience. The presentation of a floating sensation is essential for improving the virtual flight experience; however, conventional systems that present floating sensations tend to be massive. To simplify the systems presenting floating sensations, we focused on the changes in the tactile ground of the sole during takeoff and landing. This study aims to clarify how synchronization of sole contact switching and visual stimuli affects the sensation of floating in a virtual flight experience. We created an experimental device that can switch between grounded and ungrounded soles in accordance with takeoff and landing in the VR image while the user is seated. The experimental results show that synchronizing the grounding/ungrounding of the sole in a virtual environment improves the sensations of presence, floating, moving, as well as enjoyment of the flight experience. Additionally, objective evaluations using physiological data, specifically electrodermal activity (EDA), suggested that switching the physical ground contact of the sole according to takeoff and landing significantly increases the excitement level during the flight experience. These results indicate the importance of tactile ground-state manipulation synchronized with visual stimuli in the construction of a high sense of presence in a virtual flight system.