Dynamic Thermal Feedback in Highly Immersive VR Scenarios: a Multimodal Analysis of User Experience

TL;DR

This study investigates dynamic ambient thermal feedback in highly immersive VR, testing ambient warmth/cold across two rich environments with a within-subject design. Using a multimodal analysis that combines questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and PLUME-recorded behavioral metrics, it shows that congruent thermal cues increase presence beyond Audio-Visual only experiences, while differences between Static and Dynamic feedback are not uniform across participants. The work highlights substantial individual differences in thermal sensitivity, reveals order-driven behavioral changes, and proposes guidelines for evaluating multisensory VR and calibrating thermal feedback. Practically, it underscores the value of ambient thermal cues for realism and immersion, while calling for personalized calibration and spatialized thermal cues in future multisensory VR systems.

Abstract

Thermal feedback is critical to a range of Virtual Reality (VR) applications, such as firefighting training or thermal comfort simulation. Previous studies showed that adding congruent thermal feedback positively influences User eXperience (UX). However, existing work did not compare different levels of thermal feedback quality and mostly used less immersive virtual environments. To investigate these gaps in the scientific literature, we conducted a within-participant user study in two highly-immersive scenarios, Desert Island (n=25) and Snowy Mountains (n=24). Participants explored the scenarios in three conditions (Audio-Visual only, Static-Thermal Feedback, and Dynamic-Thermal Feedback). To assess the complex and subtle effects of thermal feedback on UX, we performed a multimodal analysis by crossing data from questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and behavioral indicators. Our results show that despite an already high level of presence in the Audio-Visual only condition, adding thermal feedback increased presence further. Comparison between levels of thermal feedback quality showed no significant difference in UX questionnaires, however this result is nuanced according to participant profiles and interviews. Furthermore, we show that although the order of passage did not influence UX directly, it influenced user behavior. We propose guidelines for the use of thermal feedback in VR, and the design of studies in complex multisensory scenarios.

Figures (9)

• Figure 1: VR Setup with Thermal Feedback System
• Figure 2: Walk-through the Desert Island Scenario.
• Figure 3: Walk-through the Snowy Mountains scenario.
• Figure 4: Experimental protocol.
• Figure 5: Projection heatmaps (on X-Z plane) of probability of presence in the physical space for 2 different users.