Computing
If (Virtual) Reality Feels Almost Right, It's Exactly Wrong
How adding touch to VR can lead to an “uncanny valley” of sensations—and what we can do about it
Stories by Mar Gonzalez-Franco, Christopher C Berger and Ken Hinckley
Mar Gonzalez-Franco, PhD is a Researcher at Microsoft. Her work is at the intersection of Virtual Reality and Human Perception. In her research she fosters strong immersive experiences using different disciplines: computer graphics, computer vision, avatars and haptics. All while studying human behavior, perception and neuroscience. Follow her on Follow her on Twitter @twi_mar. Christopher Berger, PhD is a Neuroscientist at the California Institute of Technology working on developing novel sensory experiences using sensory augmentation and substitution devices by conducting and applying research that probes the basic psychophysical and neural mechanisms of sensory perception. Follow him on Twitter @c_c_berger. Ken Hinckley, Ph.D. is Principal Research Manager of the EPIC (Extended Perception, Interaction, and Cognition) research group at Microsoft Research. His work explores how to reduce the impedance mismatch between humans and technology. This often involves new ways of interacting with devices via sensors, multi-modal inputs, and rich sensory cues. Follow him on Twitter @ken_hinckley.
