Virtual Weight Illusion: Weight Perception of Virtual Objects Using Weight Illusions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihiro Maehigashi ◽  
Akira Sasada ◽  
Miki Matsumuro ◽  
Fumihisa Shibata ◽  
Asako Kimura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Perception ◽  
Virtual Objects ◽  
Weight Illusion ◽  
Weight Illusions

The Golf-Ball Illusion: Evidence for Top-down Processing in Weight Perception

Perception ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert R Ellis ◽  
Susan J Lederman
Keyword(s):  
Weight Perception ◽  
Equal Weight ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Weight Difference ◽  
Sensory Cue ◽  
Weight Illusion ◽  
Primary Contribution ◽  
Weight Illusions

Theories of weight illusions have traditionally emphasised either the primary contribution of low-level sensory cues or the role of expectation based on knowledge and past experience. Current models of weight illusions lean quite strongly towards sensory-based interpretations. The current experiment raises a problem for such approaches by generating a weight illusion that is difficult to explain other than by the participants' knowledge. Golfers (who expect a weight difference between ball types) reliably judged practice golf balls to weigh more than real golf balls of the same weight. In contrast, non-golfers (who expect no weight difference between ball types) judged practice and real balls of equal weight to weigh the same. Furthermore, within the group of golfers, those who expected the weights of the two ball types to be the most discrepant prior to lifting tended to report the strongest illusions subsequent to lifting. Because there is no low-level sensory cue between ball types that on its own would signal a weight difference, the current finding suggests that there is a top-down component to weight perception that is based on experience with specific objects.

scholarly journals Perceiving and acting upon weight illusions in the absence of somatosensory information

2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 1946-1953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Buckingham ◽  
Elizabeth Evgenia Michelakakis ◽  
Jonathan Cole
Keyword(s):  
Material Properties ◽  
Weight Perception ◽  
Visual Appearance ◽  
Fingertip Force ◽  
Object Weight ◽  
Somatosensory Information ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Weight Illusion ◽  
Fingertip Forces ◽  
Weight Illusions

When lifting novel objects, individuals' fingertip forces are influenced by a variety of cues such as volume and apparent material. This means that heavy-looking objects tend to be lifted with more force than lighter-looking objects, even when they weigh the same amount as one another. Expectations about object weight based on visual appearance also influence how heavy an object feels when it is lifted. For instance, in the “size-weight illusion,” small objects feel heavier than equally weighted large objects. Similarly, in the “material-weight illusion,” objects that seem to be made from light-looking materials feel heavier than objects of the same weight that appear to be made from heavy-looking materials. In this study, we investigated these perceptual and sensorimotor effects in IW, an individual with peripheral deafferentation (i.e., a loss of tactile and proprioception feedback). We examined his perceptions of heaviness and fingertip force application over repeated lifts of objects that varied in size or material properties. Despite being able to report real weight differences, IW did not appear to experience the size- or material-weight illusions. Furthermore, he showed no evidence of sensorimotor prediction based on size and material cues. The results are discussed in the context of forward models and their possible influence on weight perception and fingertip force control.

scholarly journals The material-weight illusion disappears or inverts in objects made of two materials

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 996-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian C. Paulun ◽  
Gavin Buckingham ◽  
Melvyn A. Goodale ◽  
Roland W. Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Inference ◽  
Weight Distribution ◽  
Weight Perception ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
Bayesian Integration ◽  
The Common ◽  
Weight Illusion

The material-weight illusion (MWI) occurs when an object that looks heavy (e.g., stone) and one that looks light (e.g., Styrofoam) have the same mass. When such stimuli are lifted, the heavier-looking object feels lighter than the lighter-looking object, presumably because well-learned priors about the density of different materials are violated. We examined whether a similar illusion occurs when a certain weight distribution is expected (such as the metal end of a hammer being heavier), but weight is uniformly distributed. In experiment 1, participants lifted bipartite objects that appeared to be made of two materials (combinations of stone, Styrofoam, and wood) but were manipulated to have a uniform weight distribution. Most participants experienced an inverted MWI (i.e., the heavier-looking side felt heavier), suggesting an integration of incoming sensory information with density priors. However, a replication of the classic MWI was found when the objects appeared to be uniformly made of just one of the materials ( experiment 2). Both illusions seemed to be independent of the forces used when the objects were lifted. When lifting bipartite objects but asked to judge the weight of the whole object, participants experienced no illusion ( experiment 3). In experiment 4, we investigated weight perception in objects with a nonuniform weight distribution and again found evidence for an integration of prior and sensory information. Taken together, our seemingly contradictory results challenge most theories about the MWI. However, Bayesian integration of competing density priors with the likelihood of incoming sensory information may explain the opposing illusions. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We report a novel weight illusion that contradicts all current explanations of the material-weight illusion: When lifting an object composed of two materials, the heavier-looking side feels heavier, even when the true weight distribution is uniform. The opposite (classic) illusion is found when the same materials are lifted in two separate objects. Identifying the common mechanism underlying both illusions will have implications for perception more generally. A potential candidate is Bayesian inference with competing priors.

Weight Illusions and Weight Discrimination—a Revised Hypothesis

1970 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 318-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen E. Ross ◽  
R. L. Gregory
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Sensory Adaptation ◽  
Weight Discrimination ◽  
Optimum Density ◽  
Scaling Process ◽  
Weight Illusion ◽  
Peripheral Sensory ◽  
Weight Illusions

The results of several experiments are reported most of which suggest that there is an optimum density for weight discrimination. This density corresponds to the “non-illusory” density, as determined by the density at which a visible weight is correctly matched with a hidden weight. The greater the illusion (whether of heaviness or lightness) the poorer the discrimination. It is pointed out that similar changes in discrimination occur as a result of peripheral sensory adaptation in many modalities; but that the size-weight illusion, and the associated discrimination changes, must be due to a central scaling process. A theoretical model is suggested.

scholarly journals Interaction between static visual cues and force-feedback on the perception of mass of virtual objects

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenyan Bi ◽  
Jonathan Newport ◽  
Bei Xiao
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Interaction Design ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Visual Appearance ◽  
Virtual Objects ◽  
Movement Trajectories ◽  
Weight Illusion

ABSTRACTWe use force-feedback device and a game engine to measure the effects of material appearance on the perception of mass of virtual objects. We discover that the perceived mass is mainly determined by the ground-truth mass output by the force-feedback device. Different from the classic Material Weight Illusion (MWI), however, heavy-looking objects (e.g. steel) are consistently rated heavier than light-looking ones (e.g. fabric) with the same ground-truth mass. Analysis of the initial accelerated velocity of the movement trajectories of the virtual probe shows greater acceleration for materials with heavier rated mass. This effect is diminished when the participants lift the object for the second time, meaning that the influence of visual appearance disappears in the movement trajectories once it is calibrated by the force-feedback. We also show how the material categories are affected by both the visual appearance and the weight of the object. We conclude that visual appearance has a significant interaction with haptic force-feedback on the perception of mass and also affects the kinematics of how participants manipulate the object.CCS CONCEPTS• Human-centered computing → Empirical studies in HCI; Empirical studies in interaction design; Empirical studies in visualization;ACM Reference FormatWenyan Bi, Jonathan Newport, and Bei Xiao. 2018. Interaction between static visual cues and force-feedback on the perception of mass of virtual objects. In Proceedings of. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 5 pages.

scholarly journals Investigating the Role of Haptic and Visual Perception in the Material-Weight Illusion

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Elisabeth Naylor ◽  
Michael Proulx ◽  
Gavin Buckingham
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Visual Perception ◽  
Prior Experience ◽  
Visual Material ◽  
Optimal Integration ◽  
Weight Illusion ◽  
Weight Illusions

Weight illusions provide a compelling demonstration that prior experience affects perception. Here we investigated how the expectation-inducing modality affected the Material-Weight Illusion (MWI), where dense-looking objects feel lighter than less dense-looking objects. Participants lifted equally-weighted polystyrene, cork, and granite cubes whilst viewing computer-generated images of the cubes in virtual reality (VR). The representation of the object in VR was manipulated to create four illusion-inducing sensory conditions: visual differences only, haptic differences only, congruent visual-haptic differences, and incongruent visual-haptic material differences. Although an MWI was induced in all conditions, whereby the polystyrene object was reported to feel heavier than the granite object, the strength of the MWI differed across conditions, with haptic material cues having a stronger influence on perceived heaviness than visual material cues. These results are consistent with optimal integration theories of multi-modal perception, highlighting that perception reflects individual cues’ reliability and relevance in specific contexts.

scholarly journals Triggermuscle: Exploring Weight Perception for Virtual Reality Through Adaptive Trigger Resistance in a Haptic VR Controller

2022 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin Stellmacher ◽  
Michael Bonfert ◽  
Ernst Kruijff ◽  
Johannes Schöning
Keyword(s):  
Index Finger ◽  
Weight Perception ◽  
User Studies ◽  
Virtual Object ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Finger Force ◽  
Virtual Objects ◽  
Novel Technology ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Spring Mechanism

It is challenging to provide users with a haptic weight sensation of virtual objects in VR since current consumer VR controllers and software-based approaches such as pseudo-haptics cannot render appropriate haptic stimuli. To overcome these limitations, we developed a haptic VR controller named Triggermuscle that adjusts its trigger resistance according to the weight of a virtual object. Therefore, users need to adapt their index finger force to grab objects of different virtual weights. Dynamic and continuous adjustment is enabled by a spring mechanism inside the casing of an HTC Vive controller. In two user studies, we explored the effect on weight perception and found large differences between participants for sensing change in trigger resistance and thus for discriminating virtual weights. The variations were easily distinguished and associated with weight by some participants while others did not notice them at all. We discuss possible limitations, confounding factors, how to overcome them in future research and the pros and cons of this novel technology.

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