Towards an Investigation of Avatars’ Sweat Effects during Physical Exertion in Virtual Reality

Abstract

An avatar’s athletic appearance can affect users’ perceptual and physiological responses to physical exertion in virtual reality (VR). Although sweating during physical effort is a natural human response, it is currently unknown whether and how visualizing sweat on an avatar’s skin affects the user while exercising in VR. Therefore, we plan to conduct a study with 30 participants to explore the impact of an avatar’s sweating on users’ physical performance and perception of effort while cycling in VR. We expect that visualizing sweat increases the perceived effort and decreases physical performance as sweating is associated with physical strain and fatigue. Hence, we assume that the avatars’ sweat could contribute to a more vivid and realistic VR exercise experience on the one hand, but also result in adverse effects on the users’ physical performance on the other.