A jacket that can simulate tactile sensations has been designed by researchers with aim to help take our virtual reality experience to another level.
Called the Force Jacket, the high-tech garment is filled with airbags that use pressure and vibrations to create the sensations – such as the feeling of receiving a hug or a snake slithering down your body.
The technology is being developed by researchers at Disney in collaboration with researchers at MIT Media Lab and Carnegie Mellon University.
The jacket uses computer software that controls its 26 inflatable compartments to reproduce a variety of sensations or “feel effects”- such as a hug, a punch or a snake slithering across your body.
These sensations are created by controlling the speed, force and duration of inflating or deflating the airbags.
The pressure and vibrations can also correspond with the VR displays, allowing users to feel the actions they perform.
“The primary motivation of this research was to enhance the entertainment value of head-mounted display-based visual VR experiences in games and movies, by providing on-body force feedback,” the researchers wrote in a paper.
The team developed three prototype VR simulations for the jacket: a virtual snowball flight where the user is able to feel the impact of a snowball hitting them; a snake slithering up a user’s torso and squeezing their chest; and a scenario where a user is supposedly meant to feel their body transform into a “muscular hero” with bulging arms.
The researchers say the Force Jacket’s vest is made out of a re-purposed life vest and weighs about five pounds.
