Rewiring the evolution of the human hand: How the embodiment of a virtual bionic tool improves behavior.
iScience
; 27(6): 109937, 2024 Jun 21.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39055602
ABSTRACT
Humans are the most versatile tool users among animals. Accordingly, our manual skills evolved alongside the shape of the hand. In the future, further evolution may take place humans may merge with their tools, and technology may integrate into our biology in a way that blurs the line between the two. So, the question is whether humans can embody a bionic tool (i.e., experience it as part of their body) and thus if this would affect behavior. We investigated in virtual reality how the substitution of the hand with a virtual grafting of an end-effector, either non-naturalistic (a bionic tool) or naturalistic (a hand), impacts embodiment and behavior. Across four experiments, we show that the virtual grafting of a bionic tool elicits a sense of embodiment similar to or even stronger than its natural counterpart. In conclusion, the natural usage of bionic tools can rewire the evolution of human behavior.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
IScience
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Italy
Country of publication:
United States