Research Article
What Is It Like to Be a Virtual Bat?
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-030-06134-0_57, author={Anastassia Andreasen and Niels Nilsson and Jelizaveta Zovnercuka and Michele Geronazzo and Stefania Serafin}, title={What Is It Like to Be a Virtual Bat?}, proceedings={Interactivity, Game Creation, Design, Learning, and Innovation. 7th EAI International Conference, ArtsIT 2018, and 3rd EAI International Conference, DLI 2018, ICTCC 2018, Braga, Portugal, October 24--26, 2018, Proceedings}, proceedings_a={ARTSIT \& DLI}, year={2019}, month={1}, keywords={Virtual Reality Virtual Body Ownership Echolocation}, doi={10.1007/978-3-030-06134-0_57} }- Anastassia Andreasen
Niels Nilsson
Jelizaveta Zovnercuka
Michele Geronazzo
Stefania Serafin
Year: 2019
What Is It Like to Be a Virtual Bat?
ARTSIT & DLI
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-06134-0_57
Abstract
Virtual Reality (VR) might give us a glimpse of what it feels to have a different from human shaped body and how to orientate ourselves in virtual environment (VE) with it. Bats’ wings structure has anatomical similarities to a human hand; yet would it be possible to achieve a compelling illusion of virtual body ownership (VBO) over bat’s avatar is questionable. Hence our main aim of research is to imitate bat’s sonar system and achieve embodiment of anatomically similar but morphologically different body – a body of a bat. Test results showed a possibility to achieve VBO illusion using bat’s avatar. VBO was significantly higher when steering through VE, as opposed to steering without a virtual body and exposing to involuntary movement through VE. With our research prototype, users will be able to navigate with echolocation system and fly through a virtual cave.
