Abstract
The rubber hand illusion (RHI) is an experimental method used to interrogate the complex cognition underlying embodiment and self-identification. In traditional RHI induction, a subject's real hand is hidden from view, and illusory embodiment is induced over an artificial hand through the congruent and synchronous touch of the visible rubber and hidden real hands. Both real-world and existing virtual reality (VR) adaptations have been limited in flexibility and clinical research use by hardware and software constraints. This work details the first VR-RHI platform enabling active real-time RHI induction, used to collect data over an expanded range of RHI offsets ( 0-30 ~\text{cm} ) in both healthy human participants ( \mathrm{n} = \text{1 6} ). With this VR-RHI platform, two methods for self-localization were explored: gaze-based and controller-based. Results demonstrate robust, real-time VR-RHI induction, with a significant positive correlation (r(162)=0.67 , p<.001 ) between avatar offset and proprioceptive drift for offset magnitudes up to 10 cm. Offsets from 0-30 ~\text{cm} were tested. Gaze-based self-localization was found to be as reliable as controller-based self-pointing.