Exploring the Phantom Touch Illusion in Virtual Reality

Artur Pilacinski describes the sensation as akin to a tingling or prickling, electrifying feeling, or as if a breeze were passing through their hand. This observation underscores the phantom touch illusion's significant role in enhancing the realism of virtual experiences​. The team sought to understand the underlying brain and body processes contributing to this phenomenon, observing that it even occurred when subjects touched body parts not visible in VR. This suggests that human perception and body sensation stem from a complex combination of sensory inputs and internal body representation​.

The study involved 36 volunteers who first acclimatized to the VR environment by interacting with virtual objects and later touched their hand with a virtual stick. Participants consistently reported a "tingling" sensation across various hand locations​.

A control experiment with a laser pointer, instead of virtual objects, did not elicit the phantom touch, highlighting its unique association with virtual interactions. This discovery could impact further research into human perception and find applications in VR and medical fields, potentially aiding in understanding neurological diseases affecting body perception​.

Moving forward, the Bochum team plans to deepen their research on the phantom touch illusion and its underlying processes, in collaboration with the University of Sussex. Artur Pilacinski emphasizes the need to distinguish between actual phantom touch sensations and other cognitive processes that might influence reporting of such sensations. Their goal is to further explore and understand the neural basis of this illusion​​.

This research marks a significant step in understanding the complex interplay between virtual environments and human perception, potentially revolutionizing the use of VR in various fields.