An immersive multisensory virtual reality approach to the study of human-built environment interactions: Technical workflows

Virtual Reality technology has gained increased attention due to its capacity to provide immersive and interactive experiences to its users. Although increasing evidence has suggested that incorporating multisensory components in VR can promote the sense of presence and improve user performance, most of the current VR applications are limited to visual and auditory senses. In this article, a novel method of integrating thermal-related devices (heat lamps and fans) into Virtual Reality was developed. Automated interaction with the thermal-related devices was achieved using Arduino-based control module with its program embedded into the VR platform-Unity. The functions, hardware and software requirements of the multisensory Virtual Reality system as well as the step-by-step procedures are detailed to provide a reproducible workflow for future applications. • A practical workflow to integrate thermal apparatus into Virtual Reality. • Dynamic airflow and radiative heating incorporated into Virtual Reality. • Automated process to allow user interaction with the thermal components in Virtual Reality.