Electric Muscle Stimulation for Haptic Feedback in Virtual Reality Environment

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) technology oers immersive experiences primarily through visual perception, but full immersion requires multisensory feedback. Haptic feedback, particularly through Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS), has emerged as a promising technology to enhance VR interactivity. While EMS oers miniaturization and a wide range of sensations, its implementation often requires complex, expensive setups and extensive interdisciplinary knowledge. This study addresses the accessibility gap in EMS research by developing a cost-eective, globally accessible toolkit compatible with free, beginner-friendly software. We introduce a novel hardware solution that integrates EMS devices, wireless Bluetooth connectivity, and head-mounted VR systems. This framework simplifies the integration process, allowing researchers to focus on experiment design rather than technical setup. Two experiments are conducted to validate our toolkit. Firstly, a gun recoil simulation in VR is used for comparing three conditions namely EMS, traditional vibration motors, and no haptic feedback. Secondly, we explore the virtual rubber hand illusion, assessing EMS’s proprioceptive eects on body ownership in VR. Both experiments demonstrated a significant preference for the EMS-based system in terms of immersion and user experience, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Our research not only provides a practical solution for EMS integration in VR but also contributes to the broader discussion on user acceptance of EMS technology. By lowering the entry barriers for EMS research, this study paves the way for more diverse applications and investigations into the potential of EMS in human-computer interaction.