My Smartphone and I: Scientists show that rubber-hand illusion can be produced by smartphones

It seems to be the stuff of pure fantasy: a hand made of rubber feels as if it belongs to the owner’s body. Although it is hardly conceivable, it is an illusion which is in fact well-known in the field of psychology – and one that can be produced in skillful experimental setups. Psychologists have now shown for the first time how test persons can also integrate their own smartphones into their bodily selves. This means that whether an object is felt to belong to the owner’s own body does not only depend on whether it has a form similar to that of a human hand. The extent to which the object is used also appears to play an important role.