Beyond audiovisual: novel multisensory stimulation techniques and their applications

About this Research Topic

Background

Immersive virtual reality technology has been developing extremely dynamically in the last decade. One of the reasons is the impressive progress in 3D graphics and the increasing accessibility of hardware with sufficient computational power to smoothly render high-quality 3D environments. Virtual reality overwhelms the user by replacing the physical world with a computer-generated 3D scenario. Its power lies in embodied, complex, and vivid scenarios rich in context and dynamic engagement of the sensorimotor system, which provokes more naturalistic behavioural and physiological responses than abstract stimuli. Congruent multisensory stimulation builds virtual experience and makes us forget about the real world. Strong presence and embodiment illusions can cause deep cognitive, affective, and behavioural changes, leading to enhanced learning, perspective-taking, and treatments.

Some types of sensory input have received much more attention than others. This includes mainly visual and auditory cues, but also, to some extent, nociception and touch. However, the human sensory system is much richer and more complex and includes many other senses, such as smell, and taste, but also thermoception, interoception, equilibrioception, and others. Most VR experiences are built on rich audiovisual cues since these two modalities allow us to perceive the virtual world and interact with it. For example, touch, although extremely important, is often represented in a reductionist form, and other modalities, such as the sense of smell or thermoception, are completely ignored.

Thus, the objective of this topic is to collect manuscripts that go beyond audio-visual virtual environments and focus on those rather overlooked sensory cues and their combinations as well as on novel or less known techniques of stimulation such as ultrasound-based touch, floor vibration and olfactory VR.

The scope of the topic covers both new technological solutions and their applications. Among technological advancements, manuscripts may cover:

• Novel hardware and software solutions that enable new techniques of sensory manipulation.
• Methodological solutions, good practices & ethical considerations.
• Studies demonstrating the impact of these overlooked senses on the quality of virtual reality experiences, including the presence, copresence, and embodiment illusions.
• Applications of these novel or atypical stimulation techniques in research, education, entertainment, and health.

Keywords: multisensory virtual reality, multisensory stimulation, rare sensory input, multisensory processing, olfactory virtual reality, thermal stimulation, virtual touch applications of unusual multisensory input

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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