Mixed Reality and Tactility: The Space Between Two Perceptions

Abstract

Common access to virtual reality and augmented reality is just around the corner. How might we anticipate interaction beyond sight and sound? My thesis focuses on the exploration of tangible interfaces: how the sensation of touch affects our exchange with virtual environments. Further investigation seeks to discover insights into the negotiation of simultaneously existing between two perceptions, one environment known as “reality” or the real world, and the other known as “virtual” or virtual reality. The basis for these insights comes from the creation and observation of two iterations of a working tactile VR experience on public display for a period of roughly one month in an art gallery and an art museum. The title of the experience is “The Space Between Two Perceptions.” The creation process is explained as well as the resulting insights.