Patients of eating disorders often overestimate their body size which leads to body dissatisfaction Public Domain Pictures (CC0 1.0) As a result, illusory changes in body size via virtual reality can be used in clinical therapy. This proposes a causal link between body perception and body satisfaction. For example, a body ownership illusion that is induced over a mannequin body that is slimmer than the actual body size of a healthy participant significantly decreases the perceived real body width and at the same time increases body satisfaction. Virtual bodies can be modified regarding the shape and size of a physical body that serves as reference. Multisensory body illusions are able to alter this misperception and result in an updated and improved experience of the own body. Usually, these patients are underweight, but overestimate their body size and have a negative feeling about their body. In these disorders patients have a disturbed body representation which is accompanied by body dissatisfaction. Specifically, the virtual body ownership illusion can help in treating eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. This technology can manipulate perception and consciousness, and therefore helps to study effects of body awareness and body representation. How virtual reality can improve clinical therapyĪs virtual reality offers a controlled environment that is as lifelike as possible, it is very useful for research in neuroscience and clinical therapy. However, what most people do not think about is how this can help in treating certain disorders. Indeed, there are lots of situations to experience under the body ownership illusion in virtual reality. I’m sure you will have already come up with numerous ideas of what you would try to do in a virtual reality setting which allows for a body swap. This implies the feeling of the virtual body belonging to oneself and the perception of bodily sensations that are unique to this body. Thus, the body is seen in a similar way to physical reality, creating an immersive experience in the virtual world and the feeling of ownership over an entire virtual body.
VR BODY SWAP FULL
The full body illusion works best when having a first person perspective on the virtual body which means seeing the virtual body when looking down at oneself. More importantly, in virtual reality illusory ownership over an entire virtual body can be induced. This is achieved by tracking the movements of the real body and transferring them to the virtual body that is seen through the head-mounted display. Additionally, the illusion can be evoked by simultaneous movements of the virtual and real body part. In virtual reality, tactile stimulation on a person’s hidden real body part and synchronous stimulation on the observed virtual body part can induce the embodiment of the virtual body part. This illusion can easily be extended to virtual reality. A person experiencing virtual reality with the help of a head-mounted display PixaBay (CC0 1.0) Switching bodies – body transfer illusionĪs you might know a body transfer illusion can be created by multisensory integration via synchronously visual and tactile stimulation of a person’s body part and a corresponding fake body part. By relating the experience to an individual’s own body and how it is represented in the brain, the impact can be even greater.
However this experience is only a fraction of what to expect from immersive virtual reality.
VR BODY SWAP MOVIE
You may have experienced a similar feeling when watching a movie in the cinema or playing a video game on the computer. The aim of this technique is to create a sense of immersion so that one is under the impression of being physically present in the virtual world like normally being present in the real world. There is an almost real-time response of the system to interaction with realistically shaded and textured 3D-objects, which creates a lifelike experience for the user. The person wearing the virtual reality headset is able to move freely and control stimuli in the simulated environment. All the sensory data is integrated in order to generate a virtual environment that a user can engage with. Usually, this is done with the help of a head-mounted display (see image 1), body tracking and other sensory input devices. Often the virtual environment resembles a real one.
Virtual reality is a simulation that creates a virtual environment as convincingly as possible. To give you an idea of how this may look, you can watch this short video. Would you like to experience owning the body of another person? Perhaps the body of a person of another sex, age, size? Then this is the opportunity for you: body swapping in virtual reality!
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