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，但近期研究表明多感官模态能增强沉浸感。本研究提出一种实验方案，在虚拟现实中重建多种触觉（特别是热觉）感受。目标包括两个方面：（1）研究不同设备在产生温觉与冷觉方面的效率及声学干扰特性；（2）探究温度感知过程中视觉与触觉刺激的相互依存关系。14名参与者完成了两项实验研究。结果表明，所用材料未产生声学干扰。相较于风扇加热器，点投影器在产生温觉方面效率更高；而风扇结合水雾喷射比单独使用风扇更能有效产生冷觉。此外，除极端寒冷模拟（雪景可视化与风扇结合水雾喷射的热刺激）外，未发现视觉线索对热知觉有显著贡献。