Smart substitutional reality: Integrating the smart home into virtual reality

Abstract Recent advances in VR technology allow users to consume immersive content within their own living room. Substitutional Reality (SR) promises to enhance this experience by integrating the physical environment into the simulation. We propose a novel approach, called Smart Substitutional Reality (SSR), that extends the passive haptics of SR with the interactive functionality of a smart home environment. SSR is meant to serve as a foundation for serious games. In this paper, we describe the concept of SSR alongside the implementation of a prototype in our smart lab. We designed multiple virtual environments with a varying degree of mismatch compared to the real world, and added selected objects to induce additional haptic and thermal stimuli to increase immersion. In two user studies we investigate their impact on spatial presence and intrinsic motivation which are especially important for serious games. Results suggest that spatial presence is maintained with higher mismatch, and increased by inducing additional stimuli. Intrinsic motivation is increased in both cases.

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