Exploring the Effects of Spatially Distributed Cheek Pressure Stimulation on Virtual Experiences
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Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Eurographics Association
Abstract
In Virtual Reality (VR), haptic stimulation is promising approach to enhancing virtual experiences. However, facial haptics remain underexplored, particularly the cheeks, which have the potential to improve presence and to foster affective interaction. This study explores the effects of spatially distributed cheek pressure stimulation on virtual experiences. We developed a facial stimulation system by attaching six servo-driven linear actuators to a head-mounted display, enabling the application of pressure to multiple points on the cheek. Two user studies were conducted under three conditions: visual-only, single-point stimulation, and multi-point stimulation. The first study examined the effects of multi-point cheek pressure stimulation on presence and emotional responses when interacting with non-human virtual entities. The second study assessed its impact on presence, emotional responses, and social presence during interactions with human-like avatars. Results showed that cheek pressure stimulation significantly enhanced presence and social presence, and elicited higher emotional arousal. Furthermore, temporal variations in cheek pressure effectively improved valence in playful interaction with an avatar. Comparisons between singlepoint and multi-point stimulation revealed only minor differences, indicating limited additional benefits of multiple pressure points. However, participants' self-reports suggest that applying pressure to multiple points on the cheek is more likely to increase the perceived overall force intensity, rather than producing a sensation of distinct stimulation points.
Description
CCS Concepts: Human-centered computing → Virtual reality; User studies; Haptic devices
@inproceedings{10.2312:egve.20251346,
booktitle = {ICAT-EGVE 2025 - International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments},
editor = {Jorge, Joaquim A. and Sakata, Nobuchika},
title = {{Exploring the Effects of Spatially Distributed Cheek Pressure Stimulation on Virtual Experiences}},
author = {Kimura, Ryu and Nakamura, Fumihiko and Kimura, Asako and Shibata, Fumihisa},
year = {2025},
publisher = {The Eurographics Association},
ISSN = {1727-530X},
ISBN = {978-3-03868-278-3},
DOI = {10.2312/egve.20251346}
}