Altered visual perceptions such as visual hallucinations have been drawn a lot of attentions but it remains difficult to study its phenomenology beyond the subjective reports. Hallucination Machine comprises a novel combination of two powerful technologies: deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) and panoramic videos of natural scenes, viewed immersively through a head-mounted display (panoramic VR). By doing this, we are able to simulate visual hallucinatory experiences in a biologically plausible and ecologically valid way. The Hallucination Machine offers a valuable new technique for simulating altered phenomenology without directly altering the underlying neurophysiology.

Suzuki, Roseboom, Schwartzman, and Seth (2017) A deep-dream virtual reality platform for studying altered perceptual phenomenology, Scientific reports 7 (1), 1-11

To investigate how embodied sensorimotor interactions shape subjective visual experience, we developed a novel combination of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) within an adapted breaking continuous flash suppression (bCFS) paradigm. Through two experiments, we found that breakthrough times were faster for live compared to replayed interactions. Our results suggest that the visual awareness of unfamiliar 3D virtual objects are modulated by the contingency of the dynamic causal coupling between actions and their visual consequences, in line with theories of perception that emphasise the influence of sensorimotor contingencies on visual experience. The combination of VR/AR and motion tracking technologies with bCFS provides a novel methodology extending the use of binocular suppression paradigms into more dynamic and realistic sensorimotor environments.

Suzuki, Schwartzman, Augusto and, Seth (2019) Sensorimotor contingency modulates breakthrough of virtual 3D objects during a breaking continuous flash suppression paradigm, Cognition 187, 95-107

Combined a continuous flash suppression paradigm with virtual reality, we successfully suppressed the visibility of 3D virtual objects

Sense of agency is a fundamental aspect of conscious experience. In recent years, it has become common to use intentional binding as an implicit measure of the sense of agency. Here, we used a novel virtual-reality setup to demonstrate identical magnitude-binding effects in both the presence and complete absence of intentional action, when perceptual stimuli were matched for temporal and spatial information. Our results demonstrate that intentional-binding-like effects are most simply accounted for by multisensory causal binding without necessarily being related to intention or agency.

Suzuki, Lush, Seth, and Roseboom (2019) Intentional binding without intentional action, Psychological science 30 (6), 842-853

Virtual Reality Setup to reproduce participant's hand movements even without participant making any actions

The sense of body ownership has been studied with a multisensory congruency between visual and tactile signals such as Rubber Hand illusion. We showed a virtual hand pulsating synchronously with one's own heartbeat induces the illusionary body ownership on the VR hand. The results of this study suggests that interoceptive signals such as heartbeats could contribute to one's feeling of having body as their own.

Suzuki, Garfinkel, Critchley, and Seth (2013) Multisensory integration across exteroceptive and interoceptive domains modulates self-experience in the rubber-hand illusion, Neuropsychologia

Augmented Reality Setup to induce an illusionary body ownership using visual feedback of participant's own heartbeats on their virtual hand

We have designed an substitutional reality system that manipulates people's reality by allowing them to experience live scenes (in which they were physically present) and recorded scenes (which were recorded and edited in advance) in an alternating manner without noticing the gap between the two. The system displays the "live" scene from a front camera or the pre-recorded panoramic scene captured by a 360-degree camera on a head-mounted display. The substitutional reality system is a novel and affordable way to study metacognitive functions and psychiatric disorders.

Suzuki , Wakisaka and Fujii (2013) Substitutional reality system: a novel experimental platform for experiencing alternative reality, Scientific reports 2 (1), 1-9

We recorded the scene in which a participant came into an experiment room. We then replayed it while the participant still believe he is watching a live feed from a front camera attached on his head