Feel the Breeze: Promoting Relaxation in Virtual Reality using Mid-Air Haptics

TL;DR

This study explores the integration of mid-air haptic feedback into relaxing VR experiences, aiming to enhance relaxation and pleasure, and provides initial insights into its potential benefits despite inconclusive results.

Contribution

First to design and evaluate a mid-air haptic stimulation aligned with relaxing VR scenes for stress relief and relaxation enhancement.

Findings

No significant differences found between conditions

A trend suggests VR+Haptics may increase pleasure

Results indicate potential for multimodal VR relaxation interventions

Abstract

Mid-air haptic interfaces employ focused ultrasound waves to generate touchless haptic sensations on the skin. Prior studies have demonstrated the potential positive impact of mid-air haptic feedback on virtual experiences, enhancing aspects such as enjoyment, immersion, and sense of agency. As a highly immersive environment, Virtual Reality (VR) is being explored as a tool for stress management and relaxation in current research. However, the impact of incorporating mid-air haptic stimuli into relaxing experiences in VR has not been studied thus far. In this paper, for the first time, we design a mid-air haptic stimulation that is congruent with a relaxing scene in VR, and conduct a user study investigating the effectiveness of this experience. Our user study encompasses three different conditions: a control group with no relaxation intervention, a VR-only relaxation experience, and a VR+Haptics relaxation experience that includes the mid-air haptic feedback. While we did not find any significant differences between the conditions, a trend suggesting that the VR+Haptics condition might be associated with greater pleasure emerged, requiring further validation with a larger sample size. These initial findings set the foundation for future investigations into leveraging multimodal interventions in VR, utilising mid-air haptics to potentially enhance relaxation experiences.