Obstruction
Gallace and Spence speculate that a possible hindrance with many haptic simulators for virtual reality, such as a full body exoskeleton, is that the mechanical device, “(such as the actuators within a force feedback system) is always going to be associated with the presence of friction” (209). I’m not presently interested in drawing out that discussion any further, but the implication is important to the experience of wearing machines like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. These devices create resistance in the contraction of facial musculature, not to mention their unavoidable weight and presence.
The broader question that necessitates scientific inquiry is the capacity for an emotional response of a higher order with apparatuses that are anything but seamless. Beyond feelings of vertigo that apply directly to the somatosensory regime, how does fear (of a lower order) respond to the experience of virtual reality and the associated wearable technology? How do emotions that require conscious engagement respond to the same technology? See Section 3 for a fuller investigation of self, emotion, and sense.