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Physics Rebel Aims To Shake Up the Video Game World

Posted by Soulskill on from the feel-it-in-your-sternum dept.

waderoush writes "Physicist Shahriar Afshar is famous as the designer of the 'Afshar Experiment,' a study first described in 2004 that called into question Neils Bohr's observation that it's impossible to observe light's wave-like properties and its particle-like properties at the same time. Not surprisingly, the idea met with widespread resistance in the physics community. While he waits for the controversy to settle down, Afshar himself is taking a detour into the video game world. He's now the president and CTO of Immerz, a Cambridge, MA-based startup building an 'acousto-haptic' interface that drapes over a gamer's shoulders and turns video game sound into (literally) chest-pounding vibrations. Xconomy was allowed to test the device, and has the full story behind Afshar's unusual journey and the company's hopes for enhancing PC and console gamers' experience of action/adventure/first-person-shooter titles."

9 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. It's "Niels" by the_other_chewey · · Score: 5, Informative

    There is no "Neil" in Bohr. He's Danish: His Name is Niels Bohr, Niels Henrik David Bohr. Seriously, people...

    1. Re:It's "Niels" by syousef · · Score: 5, Funny

      There is no "Neil" in Bohr. He's Danish: His Name is Niels Bohr, Niels Henrik David Bohr. Seriously, people...

      According to quantum mechanics there's a vanishingly small possibility that the 's' simply disappeared.

      --
      These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  2. Chest pounding vibrations... by reverendbeer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...and unfit, overweight gamers. In the words of Jeremy Clarkson, what could possibly go wrong?

  3. !Controvrsy by should_be_linear · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Controversy" already settled by being tagged "BS" by major physicists.

    --
    839*929
    1. Re:!Controvrsy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So it should be:

      Physics Crackpot Aims To Shake Up the Video Game World ?

    2. Re:!Controvrsy by noundi · · Score: 5, Informative

      "Controversy" already settled by being tagged "BS" by major physicists.

      Yup, the experiment didn't work with a single photon when they wanted to verify the results. The Copenhagen interpretation still remains intact.

      --
      I am the lawn!
    3. Re:!Controvrsy by Rogerborg · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's because they're not "rebels". They're the Man, man. Afshar don't play by nobody's rules. Afshar don't care about no jive ass "experiments", fool. He be tripping mad physics skillz.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  4. Physics rebel? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I hate when media makes up "impressive" headlines out of nothing.
    The article may be worth from a point of view of a new controller but using terms such as "physics rebel" to make the controller sound like it will change the world (just like the "physics rebel" did) just pisses me off.

    If Afshar's theory/experiment contradicts the mainstream physics, does this makes him headline-worth "physics rebel"? If yes, there are millions of wackos around the world with their crazy theories.
    Foundations of Physics (where he published the last) may be a peer reviewed journal but its impact factor is very low (i.e. it is not a highly regarded journal) and it is known for publishing crazy (or should I call them rebellious) claims.

    And they can't even spell Niels Bohr's name correctly...

  5. Physics rebel by fenring · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ten years ago, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a science court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune, physics rebels, if you will. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire...Shahriar Afshar