Last year a group of researchers were able to create an out of body experience using virtual reality techniques. They would accomplish this by setting up a camera behind the participant and then the participant would wear a virtual reality headset and would then see themselves from behind. to help enhance the experience, they would use plastic rods to stroke the participant’s back and the back of the virtual body in sync. this created a physical interaction with the body and the virtual body. participants said this technique created the out of body experience, but when the movement of the rods was asynchronous, the feeling was not there. when the participants were finished, they filled out a questionnaire and said that the feeling was real, they felt like they were really looking at their body from behind.
I think this study is interesting and can help prove how the human mind things and perceives itself. I would personally like to be able to try this experiment to see if it works. I think it would have to be very realistic looking VR to convince me that it’s not just a video of me.