Embodiment Under Constant Force Applied by a Force Feedback Device for Spatially Augmented Forearm
摘要
This study investigates how force feedback affects embodiment and operability when interacting with a visually extended virtual forearm in a virtual reality (VR) environment. A wearable force feedback device equipped with a magnetorheological (MR) brake was used to apply frictional resistance during an elbow flexion task. The system was configured to simulate the biomechanical effect of a forearm extended to three times its normal length. Four experimental conditions were compared: (1) no device, (2) device worn without actuation, (3) constant resistance equivalent to a normal-length forearm, and (4) increased resistance corresponding to the tripled forearm length. Participants performed a target-reaching task and completed a questionnaire evaluating sense of body ownership, sense of agency, and perceived motion speed. The results showed that force feedback effectively reduced the perceived speed of the extended virtual arm, helping participants better control their movements. Although the sense of body ownership was not significantly enhanced by force feedback, it remained stable compared to the visual-only condition, suggesting that deep sensory input does not interfere with embodiment. These findings support the potential of mechanical force feedback in enhancing controllability and realism in VR applications involving altered or augmented limb representations.