The Effects of Avatar and Environment on Thermal Perception and Skin Temperature in Virtual Reality

Title of the Paper

The Effects of Avatar and Environment on Thermal Perception and Skin Temperature in Virtual Reality

Paper Information

• Subject Area: Thermal Perception and Skin Temperature in Virtual Reality
• Keywords: Virtual Reality, Thermal Perception, Skin Temperature, Virtual Avatar, Environmental Design

Research Background and Problem

• Problem or Challenge: Human thermal comfort and perception are influenced not only by real-world environments but also by the design of virtual environments and virtual avatars. While previous studies have shown that the color temperature of virtual environments can affect thermal perception, the impact of the visual characteristics of virtual avatars on thermal perception and whether this influence directly affects body temperature remain unclear.
• Significance: Thermal perception and comfort directly affect user satisfaction and performance in virtual reality experiences. Poor design choices may reduce long-term user retention and negatively impact commercial applications.
• Research Motivation and Related Work:
  • Previous studies have found that visual stimuli, such as colors and scenes, can influence thermal perception and even physiological responses.
  • Virtual reality, due to its immersive nature, may amplify such interactions, but whether virtual avatars have a similar impact still requires validation.

Solution

• Methods and Solutions:
  • The authors designed an experiment featuring two virtual environments (cold-themed and heat-themed) and two types of virtual avatars (“ice hand” and “fire hand”) to test their effects on participants' thermal perception and skin temperature.
  • A custom virtual reality game was used, involving hand gestures and target interactions to enhance users' awareness and focus on the virtual avatars.
  • The interaction effects of skin temperature changes and subjective thermal perception under different scenarios were observed.
• Innovations:
  • This study systematically explores, for the first time, the impact of the visual characteristics of virtual avatars and environments on body temperature regulation.
  • It proposes a new framework where virtual avatars and environments can alter users' thermal comfort and perception through visual cues.
• Implementation Steps and Key Techniques:
  • The experimental design included four conditions (fire hand-fire environment, fire hand-cold environment, ice hand-fire environment, ice hand-cold environment).
  • Skin temperature sensors were used to record temperature changes, combined with questionnaires to assess thermal comfort and presence.
  • Data analysis included interaction effects of time, environment, and avatar, as well as multiple statistical tests.

Research Findings

• Specific Findings:
  • Regulation of skin temperature by virtual avatars: The fire hand caused a downward trend in hand skin temperature over time, while the ice hand caused an upward trend.
  • The visual characteristics of the environment and virtual avatars significantly influenced thermal perception: the fire environment and fire hand induced feelings of warmth, while the cold environment and ice hand induced feelings of coldness.
  • Participants experienced higher thermal comfort in the cold environment.
• Advantages:
  • Compared to existing studies, this research clarifies the influence of avatar visual characteristics on actual body temperature, expanding the possibilities of virtual reality design from both psychological and physiological perspectives.
• Experimental or Evaluation Results:
  • ANOVA analysis showed that the interaction between avatars and environments significantly affected thermal perception and temperature regulation.
  • The time factor further amplified the effects of environmental thermal comfort changes.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  • Limitations include the absence of a neutral avatar condition as a baseline reference and potential confounding factors, such as participant activities affecting temperature.
  • Future research directions include long-term experiments to validate the sustained effects of visual stimuli on thermal comfort, optimizing designs to avoid negative thermal regulation effects, and exploring the application potential of these effects in various scenarios (e.g., game design, energy efficiency optimization).

Conclusion

The experimental study demonstrates that virtual avatars and environments in virtual reality not only influence users' thermal perception but may also directly affect skin temperature. This research opens a new direction for using visual cues to regulate thermal comfort, providing references and methods for designing more immersive and comfortable virtual experiences.