University of Regensburg

Effects of Virtual Clothing and Naturalistic Virtual Environments on Temperature Perception and Thermoregulation

Effects of Virtual Clothing and Naturalistic Virtual Environments on Temperature Perception and MARTIN KOCUR, University of Central Florida, USA ANANTA-DEZA REALDY, University of Regensburg, Germany MATTHIAS ZERNIEKEL, University of Regensburg, Germany VALENTIN SCHWIND, Stuttgart Media University, Germany NIELS HENZE…

• Virtual environments and avatar clothing are the primary drivers of thermal perception in VR, with snow-themed environments shifting thermal comfort ratings by -5.04 on the Bedford Thermal Scale.
• Participants in VR consistently reported significantly higher thermal sensations in beach environments (62.6) compared to arctic environments (47.3), regardless of physical room temperature.
• Avatar clothing significantly modulates physiological responses; wearing winter clothing in an arctic environment causes a measurable decline in skin temperature compared to wearing summer clothing.