Designing Super-Functional Virtual Arms for Quantitative Embodiment Research with Children in Virtual Reality

IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops (VRW), pp. 541–546

Abstract

Understanding how changes in virtual body functionality influence embodiment remains challenging, particularly in children. Prior work has focused mainly on visual body manipulation, while functional alterations are less systematically studied. We present a child-centered virtual reality system and experimental framework that enables controlled manipulation of virtual arm functionality for embodiment research. Using a linearized Go-Go technique, the system supports functionally reduced, normal, and enhanced virtual arms while normalizing reach across users with different physical arm lengths. An engaging animal-feeding task was designed to be intuitive for children aged 5-10, robust to tracking noise, and suitable for quantitative analysis. The interaction flow balances playful engagement with experimental control, enabling reliable use by non-technical researchers. Studies with children and adults demonstrate how the platform supports measurement of reaching behavior, perceived reachability, and embodiment, providing a validated tool for investigating functional body plasticity across developmental and comparative contexts.

Authors 5

1. Yuke Pi

   Goldsmiths University of London

   Affiliation as printed

   Goldsmiths, University of London,UK

2. Marco Fyfe Pietro Gillies

   Goldsmiths University of London

   Affiliation as printed

   Goldsmiths, University of London,UK

3. Leif Johannsen Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,Germany

4. Dorothy A. Cowie

   Durham University

   Affiliation as printed

   Durham University,UK

5. Xueni Pan

   Goldsmiths University of London

   Affiliation as printed

   Goldsmiths, University of London,UK