Visuo-Haptic VR Therapy: A Multisensory Framework Using AI-Generated Felt Plants for Stress Relief

The rapid evolution of virtual reality (VR) offers significant potential for immersive stress relief. However, the role of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated visual elements in emotion regulation-particularly when integrated with dynamic haptic feedback-remains underexplored. To address this gap, we propose and evaluate a novel visuo-haptic VR therapy framework utilizing AI-generated felt-style plant scenes. Three progressive studies were conducted: (1) a survey ($\mathbf{N}=\mathbf{1 7 6}$) measuring acceptance and perceived calmness of AI-Assisted painting with feltstyle; (2) a laboratory experiment ($\mathrm{N}=37$) comparing affective responses to real versus AI-generated plants and perception of felt material with visuo-haptic conditions; (3) an immersive VR trial ($\mathbf{N} \boldsymbol{=} \mathbf{1 5}$) assessing static, dynamic, and synchronized visuohaptic plant videos using subjective ratings and continuous skin conductance. Results show high acceptance of AI content, comparable pleasure for real and AI imagery, and markedly greater relaxation and restorative effects when visuals are coupled in real time with haptic feedback in VR. These findings demonstrate that AI-generated content, when dynamically fused with multisensory feedback, effectively enhances VR-based emotional well-being and provides a structured framework for virtual-scene therapy.