Emotional Engagement with Haptic Feedback in Virtual Scenarios: A Literature Review

Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated environment that computer technology generates. Haptic feedback uses touch sensations to enhance user interaction within a VR. Exploring emotional engagement in VR has witnessed a surge in interest, particularly concerning the integration of haptic feedback. This study systematically reviews 26 primary studies published from 2013 to 2023. We identify nineteen emotional engagement techniques and support leveraging the impact of emotional engagement in collaboration with haptics. Then, we develop a relationship based on emotional engagement and haptic feedback, emphasizing the significance of sensory integration and haptic elements in augmenting emotional connections in a VR environment. The investigation unveils various techniques, encompassing multi-sensory emotion recognition, immersive VR environments, interactive digital narratives, and haptic feedback strategies. Our findings suggest that the researchers need to explore emotional engagement in multiple virtual environments for synchronous user interaction to advance immersive technologies.