Investigation of Microcirculatory Effects of Experiencing Burning Hands in Augmented Reality

In this paper, we report on our experiment to investigate the extent to which the human body reacts to virtual thermal stimuli presented in Augmented Reality (AR). Our AR experience enables users to see and hear their own hands burning while looking through a Video SeeThrough Head-Mounted Display (VST-HMD). We hypothesized that this AR experience can lead to a change in Skin Blood Flow (SkBF). Our results show that the SkBF in the affected hand did change significantly on some participants. They experienced a change of blood flow similarly to real thermal stimulation.