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Jacket Lets You Feel the Movies
sp3cialk79 writes "Researchers from Philips Electronics plan to describe a jacket they have lined with vibration motors to study the effects of touch on a movie viewer's emotional response to what the characters are experiencing.
'People don't realize how sensitive we are to touch, although it is the first sense that fetuses develop in the womb,' says Paul Lemmens, a Philips senior scientist who will be presenting research done using the jacket at the IEEE-sponsored 2009 World Haptics Conference in Salt Lake City.
The jacket contains 64 independently controlled actuators distributed across the arms and torso. The actuators are arrayed in 16 groups of four and linked along a serial bus; each group shares a microprocessor. The actuators draw so little current that the jacket could operate for an hour on its two AA batteries even if the system was continuously driving 20 of the motors simultaneously."
The single best use of this device would be to constrict and asphyxiate anyone in the cinema who insists on talking or fidgeting or generally disrupting others during the film. I would be especially in favour of its use on disruptive children, of all ages.
May the Maths Be with you!
Yeah but that's alright, the first movies that implement it will do it the same cheap way they did the 3d in Superman Returns. The jacket will only work for three one minute scenes in the entire movie.
Cause I just envisioned someone wearing this jacket in a seedy "adult" theater.
Every new technology will first be used to find new and interesting ways of getting ourselves off. We really haven't changed all that much since we started walking upright, have we? ;)
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Heck with a "seedy" theater. a regular theater and I'm going ....EEEEEEEEEW!!!
Have you seen how disgusting your fellow humans are? when your feet stick to the floor in a theater and you find booger encrusted seats.. No thanks, I'm not putting on any jacket that some gross sweaty stinkbomb wore last...
There is a reason they always keep the lights low in theaters.. so you dont get gross and puke all over the place from what's all over your seat.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
What does walking upright [wikipedia.org] have to do with it?!
Well, it frees up our hands for "other" purposes ;)
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.