VEs are typically limited to visual and auditory cues; however, recent results show that multiple sensory modalities increase the immersion. In this study, an experimental protocol is proposed to recreate multiple tactile, in particular thermal, sensations in VR. The aim is twofold: (1) studying the performance of different devices for creating warm and cold sensations with regards to their efficiency and acoustic disturbance; and (2) investigating the interdependency between visual and tactile stimuli in the perception of temperature. 14 participants performed two experimental studies. Our results show no acoustic disturbance of the materials used. Spot projector is more efficient than fan heater to create a warm sensation; fan + water spray is more efficient than fan alone to create cold sensation. Moreover, no significant contribution of visual cue on the thermal perception was found except for the extremely cold simulation (snow visualization and thermal stimulation performed with fan + water spray).

翻译：虚拟环境通常局限于视觉和听觉线索，然而最新研究表明多感官模态可提升沉浸感。本研究提出一种实验方案，旨在虚拟现实（VR）中重建多种触觉（特别是热觉）感知。研究目标包括：（1）评估不同设备在产生冷热感知方面的效率及声学干扰特性；（2）探究视觉与触觉刺激在温度感知中的相互依赖关系。14名受试者参与了两项实验研究。结果表明：所用材料未产生声学干扰；点状投影仪比暖风机更能有效产生温暖感知；风扇+水雾组合比单独使用风扇更能有效产生寒冷感知。此外，除极端寒冷模拟（雪景可视化配合风扇+水雾热刺激）外，视觉线索对热感知并无显著贡献。