Enhancement of perceived body ownership in virtual reality-based teleoperation may backfire in the execution of high-risk tasks.

Guided by previous research on the role of embodiment in virtual environments, this study aimed to investigate the potential effects of using human-like (compared to robotic) virtual hands on work performances in the context of virtual reality (VR)-based teleoperation of high-risk machinery. A 2 × 2 mixed factorial design experiment ( = 74), with the virtual hand representation as a within-subjects factor (robotic vs. human-like virtual hands) and the risk of danger as a between-subjects factor (low vs.

Uncanny Valley Effects on Friendship Decisions in Virtual Social Networking Service.

Drawing on the uncanny valley effects (UVE) hypothesis and related works on avatar-based interactions, this study investigates the role of UVE (i.e., a feeling of eeriness), induced by avatar realism and animacy, on the perceived trustworthiness (PT) of an avatar user, and subsequent decisions to befriend that avatar user in a virtual social networking service (SNS).