A Touch of Realities: Car-Interior-Based Haptic Interaction Supports In-Car VR Recovery from Interruptions

Abstract

Real-world interruptions will challenge virtual reality (VR) users in future everyday transport. For example, while passengers are immersed at a virtual beach, an incoming phone call might interrupt their presence and relaxation. We investigated how to help users recover from such interruptions by exploring haptic and visual cues that help them recall their prior presence in VR. We approached this by developing a passive haptic display for rear-seat passengers using an interactive armrest. In a lab study (N=30), participants played with virtual sand to relax, feeling the changes in the real armrest and seeing them on the virtual beach. We compared this multi-sensory experience to the single modalities (just visuals or just haptics). The results showed that the multi-modal experience lowered awareness of the armrest more and fostered a feeling of connectedness to the virtual world after real-world interruptions. We propose using car-interior-based haptic displays to support in-car VR recovery from interruptions.