Design And Implementation Of An Interactive VR ’Whack A Mole’ Experiment By Using Electro-tactile Feedback

The National Institute for Digital Science and Technology(INRIA)is a French digital science research institute that promotes scientific excellence.My work at this research center is based around a major project: designing and implementing a virtual reality experiment in Unity,with Steam VR,in C#,using an electro-tactile device for Tactility(a European project Horizon 2020).The goal of this experiment is to demonstrate how to use electro-tactile device to improve the immersion of VR.The experiment is based on the "whack-a-mole" game.Whack-a-Mole is an arcade game where the goal is to hit the mole coming out of the hole as fast as possible.Here,our moles were replaced with rats in order to create a sense of disgust in the rats and a sense of comfort in the mice.The design of the experiment is as follows: First step we want the user to calibrate the electro-tactile feedback in virtual reality.Then,the second step is to evaluate the model(rat or mouse)with electro-tactile feedback or not by responding to a questionnaire.This step is repeated twice,with and without the feedback.The next step is the tutorial phase.This is training for a mole game without models or haptic effects.The final step is the Whack A Mole game with the models.In this step,in addition to the questionnaire,data is also collected.The experiment is fully implemented and waiting to be used.All parts work and do not present any errors in runtime.All in all,the internship was a great experience that enriched me on a personal and professional level and gave me a glimpse of the career direction I hope to take.