The Limits of Haptic Retargeting in Virtual Reality

Haptics completes the multisensory experience of Virtual Reality. Haptic retargeting enables an everyday physical object to serve as a haptic proxy for multiple virtual objects by leveraging perceptual illusions. However, a primary challenge is avoiding user detection of haptic retargeting when the applied perceptual illusion increases. This thesis explores the practical viability of haptic retargeting by demonstrating different design possibilities and evaluating them through user studies. This thesis showcases the limits of haptic retargeting and uses this knowledge to propose viable haptic design considerations to enable the use of everyday physical objects.