ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a work-in-progress which aims to explore effects of tactile communication with virtual robots on user experience in virtual reality (VR). The proposed VRTouched system’s design and current development status was described along with user study plans, challenges, and alternative solutions. Challenges associated with the design and development of the VRTouched system can be listed as follows: a seamless tactile interface that would give a realistic touch feeling yet would not be noticed by the users; synchronizing the positions of the touches in the virtual world and the real world. There are also virtual robots that are virtual characters in the shape of robots. The location and the timing of the touch are synchronized with the virtual touch to increase the degree of perceived realism of the touch. This system was designed to be in the form of a wearable backpack with attached components.
