Virtual Tool Embodiment in Simulated Gravity Conditions
Amir Jahanian Najafabadi, Jean Botev, Ningyuan Sun, Carolyn Kroger · 2025
This study investigates the impact of different gravitational physics on virtual tool embodiment and examines whether cognitive load predicts the emergence of ownership and agency. We hypothesize that low-gravity environments enhance the sense of tool embodiment and that this enhancement correlates with reduced cognitive load. To this end, we devised a virtual reality experiment in which users both actively and passively experience normal, hyper-, and microgravity conditions during tool use. While the current sample size limits the statistical validation of our hypothesis, preliminary findings indicate promising trends supporting these predictions. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of how altered physical conditions influence virtual interactions. This has potential implications for virtual reality design, human-computer interaction, and space exploration applications.