CAPTION

Head Popping Illusion（頭すっぽん新感覚）は、身体から頭部のみが「すぽん」と離れる感覚を味わうことのできるHMDを使ったVR体験装置です。

HMDを装着した体験者自身が、賞状用の丸筒の上部を勢いよく「すぽん」と引き抜くと、VR空間の中で、体験者の動きに同期したアバターの頭部が勢いよく首から弾けます。このとき、離脱した頭部は、すぐに元の位置へと吸着されるか、上方で凍結するか、あるいはそのまま放物線を描き床へ投げ出されれるかの、いずれかの仮想的な物理法則に従います（magnet/frozen/canon head）。

Head Popping Illusionは、以上のような同期と分離のインタラクションを通じて、現象的な自己（sense of self）が本来的に孕んでいる、３つの異なる様態（身体 – 純粋視点 – 物質）を往還します。この過程で、完全に「無」に記すことのできないオブジェクトの、しかし極小化された形態として、＜頭部＞というモチーフが見出されることになります。すなわち、この＜頭部＞とは、「自分」の中に宿る自由ならざるものの象徴でもあるのです。

Abstract

Head popping illusion is a HMD system that provides an unrealistic experience by which one’s head is separated from the rest of his/her body. This illusory separation occurs in synchronization with the popping off the lid of the poster holder, which is physically operated by the HMD wearer. This operation is effective for obtaining a sense of pulling off the head because it provides the characteristic haptic feedback to both hands with a tight “Pong” sound at the moment at which the lid comes off with a pop, which can be easily associated with a sensation of something that is being taken away. The separated head in the HMD’s view is quickly returned to the rest of the body (“Magnet Head”), pauses mid-air (“Frozen Head”), or is blown off from the rest of the body (“Canon Head”), where the popped direction points to the direction in which the top of the HMD wearer’s head is directed and the popped distance correlates with the physical speed of pulling the lid. Some participants reported that they felt that their head is actually taken away momentarily, suggesting that head is an independent element in our subjective body imaging system.