Manipulating the Perceived Directions of Wind by Visuo-Audio-Haptic Cross-Modal Effects

Wind displays, which simulate the sensation of wind, have been known to enhance the immersion of virtual reality content. However, certain wind displays require an excessive number of wind sources to simulate wind from various directions. To realize wind displays with fewer wind sources, a method to manipulate the perceived directions of wind by audio-haptic cross-modal effects was proposed in our previous study. As the visuo-haptic cross-modal effect on perceived wind directions has not yet been quantitatively investigated, this study focuses on the effect of visual stimuli on the perception of wind direction. We present virtual images of flowing particles and three-dimensional sounds of wind as information to indicate wind directions and induce cross-modal effects in users. The user study has demonstrated that adding visual stimuli effectively improved the result corresponding to certain virtual wind directions. Our results suggest that perceived wind directions can be manipulated by both visuo-haptic and audio-haptic cross-modal effects.