AttraCar: Multisensory In-Car VR with Thermal, Airflow, and Motion Feedback through Built-In Vehicle Systems
UIST ’25 (The 38th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology)
Title: AttraCar: Multisensory In-Car VR with Thermal, Airflow, and Motion Feedback through Built-In Vehicle Systems
Authors: Yeo, D., Kim, G., Oh, M., Park, J., Gim, B., Kang, S., Elsharkawy, A., and Kim, S.
Conference: UIST ’25: ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology
Awards: 🏆 Demo Honorable Mention Award (UIST ‘25), 🏅 People’s Choice Best Demo Award (UIST ‘25), 🥇 ISMAR ’25 Best Demo Award (ISMAR ‘25)
🚗 Project Overview
AttraCar is a multisensory in-car Virtual Reality (VR) system that leverages the vehicle’s built-in HVAC and power seat systems to deliver thermal, airflow, and motion feedback without any external hardware.
By synchronizing these physical cues with virtual events, AttraCar enhances immersion, reduces motion sickness, and demonstrates a scalable, hardware-free design for future in-vehicle VR applications.
The system integrates:
- Thermal and airflow feedback via direct control of the vehicle’s HVAC system (15–50 °C, up to 7.6 m/s).
- Motion feedback using PWM-driven power seat actuation for wave-based cues (sinusoidal, triangular, square).
- Unity3D orchestration through an Arduino-based control unit translating virtual stimuli into physical signals.
Participants experience a 3–4 minute airship journey shifting between Steampunk City (warm airflow and smooth lift) and Glacier (cold gusts and irregular motion), illustrating the expressive range of in-car multisensory feedback.
🔗 Links
- Full Paper (UIST ’25): https://doi.org/10.1145/3746059.3747642
- UIST ’25 Demo Paper: https://doi.org/10.1145/3746058.3759008
- ISMAR ’25 Demo Paper: https://doi.org/10.1109/ISMAR-Adjunct.2025.1234567
