Haptics and the Virtual Self

新技术的出现为人类的行动和互动提供了新的可能性。特别是有了虚拟现实（VR），我们的行为及其影响不再局限于物理环境。虽然这有望扩展我们的视野，但这项技术对我们自我意识的影响尚不清楚。心理学文献强调了我们的物理感官世界对于建立和构建自我的重要性。来自环境的感官反馈被认为对于识别我们身体自我的边界（所有权感）和自我产生的行动和效果（代理感）至关重要。我们的自我意识如何在虚拟环境中构建和生存？这个问题对心理学家和VR设计师都很重要。对心理学家来说，兴趣在于在这些环境中自我发生了什么，以及可以从支撑自我构建的机制中学到什么。对于用户体验设计师来说，这些问题很重要，因为任何削弱用户自我意识的因素都可能对他们的体验产生负面影响。计算机科学家已经认识到这些问题，并正在寻找丰富VR感官环境的方法。该研究项目的非hei合作伙伴Ultrahaptics开发了一种新颖的解决方案。Ultrahaptics公司开发了一种超声波技术，可以在虚拟环境中为用户提供空中触觉反馈。这些技术进步有望克服在虚拟世界中自我构建的一些障碍。我们的研究项目旨在系统地研究触觉反馈对虚拟环境中所有权感和代理感的影响。该项目将为该技术的设计师提供重要的见解，也为心理学探索触觉反馈的作用提供了一个独特的机会。支撑自我建构的机制是心理学和哲学关注的中心问题。该项目有望从两个关键方面阐明这一点。首先，我们有一个独特的机会来探索触觉反馈在自我构建中的作用。到目前为止，我们还没有技术可以精确地控制触觉信息的存在、时间和质量。通过这种方式，它有望为在这一领域工作的人建立研究能力。第二，在虚拟环境中自我意识可能发生的重要变化。鉴于新的虚拟技术的出现可能从根本上挑战和改变我们的自我意识，这是一个越来越受关注的领域。本研究对从事人机交互研究的人员有直接的指导意义。Ultrahaptics对拟议的研究有浓厚的兴趣，认为这是解决新汽车和虚拟/增强现实技术带来的关键挑战的一种方式。目的是将我们的研究结果反馈到这些技术的设计和改进中。例如，通过我们的研究，我们将能够定义精确的触觉反馈参数，以优化用户的所有权和代理感。这将有助于改进技术，从而改善用户体验。虚拟现实技术越来越多地应用于医疗环境，如中风后患者的运动康复。这项技术提供了在医院环境中不可能进行的日常活动。也有人认为，这种形式的康复可以更吸引人，更有动力。尽管有这些优点，但人们也认识到虚拟现实有一定的缺点，其中之一是相对缺乏感官反馈。我们提出的研究可以帮助微调超触觉技术，并利用它来优化患者的所有权和代理感，从而提高这种虚拟康复方法的功效。

The emergence of new technology has provided fresh possibilities for human action and interaction. With virtual reality (VR) in particular, our actions and their effects are no longer tethered exclusively to the physical environment. Whilst this promises to extend our horizons, the impact of this technology on our sense of self is still unclear. Psychology literature emphasises the importance of our physical sensory world for grounding and constructing the self. Sensory feedback from the environment is thought to be crucial for recognising the boundaries of our bodily selves (sense of ownership), and self-generated actions and effects (sense of agency).How can our sense of self be constructed and survive in virtual environments? This question is important to both psychologists and VR designers. For psychologists, the interest lies in what happens to the self in these environments, and what can be learned about the mechanisms underpinning self-construction. For user-experience designers, these issues matter because any factor that impoverishes the user's sense of self is likely to negatively impact their experience. Computer scientists have recognised these issues and are looking at ways of enriching the sensory environment in VR. One novel solution has been developed by Ultrahaptics, the non-HEI partner on this research project. Ultrahaptics has developed ultrasound technology that provides users with mid-air haptic feedback when acting in virtual environments. These technological advances promise to overcome some of the barriers to self-construction in virtual worlds.Our research project aims to systematically investigate the effect of haptic feedback on the sense of ownership and sense of agency in virtual environments. This project will provide important insights for designers of the technology, and also offer psychology a unique opportunity to explore the role of haptic feedback.The mechanisms underpinning the construction of self are a central concern of psychology and philosophy. This project promises to shed light on this in two key ways. First, we have a unique opportunity to explore the role of haptic feedback in self-construction. Until now, we have not had the technology available to precisely control the presence, timing and quality of haptic information. In this way, it promises to build research capacity for those working in this area. Second, the important changes that may occur to the sense of self in virtual environments. This is an area of growing interest given the emergence of new virtual technologies that may fundamentally challenge and alter our sense of self.The proposed research is of direct relevance to those working in human-computer-interaction. Ultrahaptics has a strong interest in the proposed research, seeing it as a way of addressing key challenges arising from new automotive and virtual/augmented reality technologies. The aim is for the findings from our research to be fed back into the design and refinement of these technologies. For example, through our research we will be able to define the precise haptic feedback parameters that optimise the user's sense of ownership and agency. This will help refine the technology, which in turn will improve user experience.Virtual reality technology is increasingly used in applied medical settings, such as motor rehabilitation for post-stroke patients. This technology offers the opportunity to practice everyday activities that are not possible in a hospital setting. It has also been argued that this form of rehabilitation can be more engaging and motivating. Despite these advantages, it is also recognised that virtual reality has certain drawbacks, one of which is the relative lack of sensory feedback. Our proposed research can help fine-tune Ultrahaptic technology and utilise this to optimise the patient's sense of ownership and agency, therefore improving the efficacy of this virtual rehabilitation approach.