VR and AR in sleep system consulting

AR can overlay a to-scale bed model into an existing room. VR can show various environments or perspectives. This allows, for example, proportions, access, and design variants to be discussed. Accuracy depends on model dimensions, tracking, scale, and representation.

Colours and materials do not necessarily appear in the headset or on the screen as they do in real light. The perceived room size can also be influenced by display conditions. A simulation is therefore a planning aid, not a replacement for all physical samples and measurements.

When lying down, body weight is distributed over a large area. The support deforms over time and influences posture as well as the effort required for movement. A handheld controller with vibration does not map this full-body mechanics. Even a haptic glove can only represent a mattress to a very limited extent.

Research into the perception of softness shows that visual and tactile information interact. [1] This does not mean that sight can completely replace touch. A convincingly soft-rendered bed can alter expectations while the actually felt support remains unchanged.

Experiments investigate how visual expectation and tactile feedback influence the perception of softness. [2] Other works compare real products, VR, and VR with passive haptic elements. [3] Such approaches show that appropriate physical feedback can be relevant.

For a mattress consultation, however, a haptic platform would have to adequately reproduce forces and deformations across the body. In addition, there is temperature, surface, and movement. A small laboratory task using a finger or a single object is not a validation of the full-body simulation of a bed. The limit of transferability must remain visible during the presentation.

Our own recommendation is a real test area with a changeable visual environment. The customer lies on an actually existing mattress and sees different room designs. In this way, the effect of the environment can be explored while the mechanical experience remains real.

The order should be chosen deliberately. A first impression of lying down without immersive staging can serve as a reference. Subsequently, the virtual environment shows how design and expectation change the experience. The result is described as an overall experience, not as proof that the same mattress has objectively become softer.

Headsets can be uncomfortable for some people or trigger dizziness. A consultation must remain possible without VR. For elderly or mobility-impaired individuals, safe sitting and lying positions as well as assistance when sitting up are important. Personal room recordings may also contain private information.

A good application shortens uncertainty regarding dimensions and design without creating new hurdles. Purchase satisfaction, incorrect orders, and comprehensibility are sensible endpoints. An impressive demonstration effect alone does not yet show a better consultation benefit.

A luxurious virtual environment can lead to the same support being assessed differently. This is an interesting perceptual effect, but not a change in its mechanical properties. A consultation attempt should therefore distinguish between room effect and material effect.

A first test without an immersive environment can serve as a reference. Afterwards, room variants are shown and the assessment is collected again. The comparison helps to understand what contribution design makes. It must not be presented as proof of a true-to-life simulation of other mattresses as long as the real support remains unchanged.

A customer lies on an existing mattress and sees a quiet hotel room with a sea view through a headset. They describe lying down as more relaxing. This impression can arise from the environment even though the pressure distribution is unchanged.

The experience can be valuable for the design of one's own bedroom. For the choice between two mattresses, both must nevertheless be tested in reality. STOLL can use the VR experience as a supplement and clearly state what information it provides. The combination of visible atmosphere and real haptics is more honest than the promise that the headset could generate any arbitrary lying sensation.

A successful VR application should achieve more than short-term enthusiasm. Sensible goals are a better understanding of size, fewer false assumptions about the room effect, and a more suitable purchase decision. These results can be checked after the appointment and after delivery.

Additional time expenditure, discomfort, and the exclusion of certain users also belong in the balance sheet. A conventional alternative remains necessary. Technology improves consultation when it reduces concrete uncertainty and makes the decision more comprehensible.