Special Gaming T-Shirt Promises You Can ‘Feel’ Those Punches Or Stabs
One of the things missing from our potential future virtual lives and interactions in the metaverse is the sense of touch. Although virtual-reality headsets can provide an extremely realistic sense of surroundings, it’s hard to recreate the feeling of a handshake or hug.
Or a dagger wound. Or getting hit by a ball. Or being punched in the stomach, alongside other unfortunate, but seemingly unavoidable, incidents. In some favorite VR game titles, at least.
Researchers have endeavored to create something similar, even going as far as to recreate skin—but perhaps the answer comes in the form of, of all things, a T-shirt.
Created by Spanish firm OWO, this wireless haptic vest was developed with 30 sensations that can be synced up with games on various platforms, including VR for the complete experience.
Some of these include things like being pushed, lifting heavy weights, or even the sensation you get when you’re free falling or driving a fast car. Other perhaps more unpleasant sensations include being stabbed, shot, or bitten by an insect.
Users will be able to customize their experience through the dedicated app, which, thankfully, allows for the intensity to be adjusted, among other things. If it gets to be too much, there’s also the choice to turn it off entirely.
Although one might gladly choose to leave some of the more unsavory sensations behind in the “real world” while they escape into the metaverse, at least the option to recreate it is there.
TechRadar points out that being “involved” in the game to this extent might change the attitude players have towards games. An example of laser tag versus paintball is used: The former doesn’t have that much real consequence, but being hit with a paintball actually hurts.
OWO’s vest has been recognized by CES 2022’s Innovation Awards. While there is the option to pre-order this dynamic garment, there isn’t information on pricing or availability just yet—but perhaps that will come at CES in early January.
