Multimodal Feedback to Represent Motion in Virtual Reality

This research expands existing knowledge on the role of multisensorial haptic stimulation on motion perception in Virtual Reality. In the last couple of decades, several studies were conducted on motion, movement and perceptual spatial abilities of people. However the landscape has been largely fragmented with several studies providing insights on the possibilities of applying haptic feedback to a VR animation using different frameworks and systems. The end goal of this work is to provide empirical evidence over the unique properties that haptic feedback can bring to Virtual Reality environments. In particular, this thesis describes an exploratory research that includes the design of a haptic device and several empirical studies. The iterative design process implied that experiments were carried out building on top of previously found results. The broad spectrum of the research touches several different aspects of multimodal Virtual Reality including terminology and wording, audio and visual congruency between stimuli and finally multimodal haptic feedback to enhance human perception of movement in VR. The contributions of this thesis are valuable for research fields such as: Virtual Reality, multimodal interaction, creative and entertainment technology, Human Computer Interaction, interaction design, user experience design