From Disruption to Immersion: Reimagining Vehicle Motion as Environmental Feedback through Force Mappings in In-Car VR

This study investigates how vehicle motion can be reinterpreted as perceptually coherent multisensory feedback for in-car VR applications, expanding beyond traditional motion-based experiences. We introduce the concept of force mappings, a design space that translates vehicle-induced physical forces such as from accelerations, turns, and rough terrain into ambient environmental representations within VR. Implemented on a real vehicle platform with a sensor-based pipeline, our system applies four representative mapping strategies (Ground-based, Wind-based, Current-based, Object-based) and evaluates their perceptual coherence and experiential effects through two respective user studies. Results show that force mappings improve presence, comfort, and engagement while enabling creative reinterpretations of physical motion. Finally, we provide empirical findings and design considerations to inform future in-car VR systems that leverage real-world motion as a creative and perceptually grounded interaction resource.