Mediated Physicality
The concept of Mediated Physicality aims to induce an illusion from users to regard a VH being able to affect them physically, therefore causing more realistic behaviors, but without direct interaction. For that we propose to make a use of the surrounding environment where the primary interaction takes place and the interaction between the surrounding environment with a virtual human (VH). In other words, instead directly perceiving the VH’s physicality, users will perceive outcomes of the VH’s actions on the environment, i.e., the outcomes are mediated. Subtle movements of the real-virtual table (Wobbly Table), footstep vibrations via the shared floor (Effect of Vibrotactile Feedback via a Floor) are the examples of the mediated outcomes.
In such mediation, we believe that the synchronization between the actions and outcomes and the physicality of the mediator are important factors for the mediated physicality. Our assumption is that when people perceive the mediated outcomes synchronized with a VH’s actions, then they would naturally attribute perceived outcomes to the VH’s actions—as similar to sensorimotor integration could induce the illusion of body ownership—, finally physicality of the mediator would be transferred—to some degree, if not all—to the VH.