From Robot to Virtual Doppelganger: Impact of Visual Fidelity of Avatars Controlled in Third-Person Perspective on Embodiment and Behavior in Immersive Virtual Environments

Abstract

This study presents the second phase of a series of experiments investigating the impact of avatar visual fidelity on the sense of embodiment and users' behavior in immersive virtual environments. Our main focus concerns the similarity between users and avatars, a factor known as truthfulness. Our experiment requires the participants to control three avatars using a third-person perspective: a robot, a suit and their virtual doppelganger (virtual representation of the self). In order to analyze users' reactions and strategies, each task of the scenario of the virtual reality application can potentially affect the integrity of their characters. Our results revealed that ownership, one of the three factors of the sense of embodiment, is higher for the participants controlling their self-representation than with abstract representations. Furthermore, avatar visual fidelity seems to affect users' subjective experience, half of the panel reported having different behavior depending on the controlled character. Abstract representations allow the users to adopt more risky behaviors, while self-representations maintain a connection with the real world and encourage users to preserve the integrity of their avatar.

Keywords: Proteus effect; avatar; doppelganger; embodiment; virtual reality.

Figure 1

Illustration of three raw bust models (50K polygons) and of their optimized versions (2.5K polygons) integrated in the virtual reality application. Written informed consent was obtained from the depicted individuals for the publication of this image.

Figure 2

Screenshots of the three avatars presented to the participants in the virtual environment: (A) robot, (B) suit, (C) doppelganger. Written informed consent was obtained from the depicted individual for the publication of this image.

Figure 3

First- and third-person perspectives: (A) 1PP, (B) 3PP.

Figure 4

User equipped with the required devices for the experiment: HTC Vive virtual reality headset, Vive trackers, TP Cast wireless adapter. Written informed consent was obtained from the depicted individual for the publication of this image.

Figure 5

Virtual arena during the tasks of the experiment: (A) appropriation phase, (B) task 1: bridge, (C) task 2: walls and ledges, (D) task 3: traps, (E) task 4: spheres, (F) task 5: laser.

Figure 6

Boxplot of the averages of the SL, A, and O factors of the embodiment dimension.

Figure 7

Boxplot of the averages of the Proteus Effect dimension.

Figure 8

Bars of means of the number of collided spheres.