Haptic Gaming Vest Simulates Punches, Shots, Stabbing

An anonymous reader writes "IEEE Spectrum reports that University of Pennsylvania researchers have developed a Tactile Gaming Vest that smacks and vibrates as players get shot in a game based on Half-Life 2. Four solenoid actuators in the chest and shoulders in front and two solenoids in the back give you the feeling of a simulated gunshot. In addition, vibrating eccentric-mass motors clustered against the shoulder blades make you feel a slashing effect as you get stabbed from behind. If this kind of vest could be linked to a movie while you watch it, the experience would be that much more exciting. Or as one of the creators put it, 'every time Bruce Willis gets shot, you feel it.'"

Comments

Negative feedback

[TSchut]

I would prefer positive feedback instead. Say, every time you kill a baddie, the suit gently rubs your back for a few seconds. That would be a lot more motivating. Now watch this thread deteriorate!

Re:Negative feedback

[religious freak]

I ou d p e r p si iv f db k in te . Sa , e y ti y u k ll a b di , t su g tl ru y r ck f r a ew s on s. Th t w d b a lo m e m iv ing. N w w ch t i t ad de rior te!

Looks like the half-life is about 1 hour

Re:I doubt it

[zlel]

I thought that's the whole point of games and movies, that you don't want to go through the real deal, but want to think that you did?

haptic feedback

[Anonymous Coward]

That's not the kind of haptic feedback I'm primarily interested in...

Re:I doubt it

[Rakishi]

So having a little number on the screen go from 100 to 85 DOESN'T trivialize gunshot wounds but adding some vibration does?

More details please

[clarkkent09]

Or as one of the creators put it, 'every time Bruce Willis gets shot, you feel it.

So if there is a fight, could you pick which character's you are experiencing, the one throwing the punch or the one on the receiving end? The reason I am asking is that the application of this technology for porn is pretty obvious, but a mistake in picking the character could be pretty devastating.

Re:I doubt it

[sonicmerlin]

Having been in a one-on-one fight with an ancient Greek god, I can assure everyone that God of War utterly fails to deliver the kind of pain being slashed by a god's razor-sharp weapon feels like. This game is an insult to veteran god-fighters like myself for trivializing the suffering caused by ancient Greek gods' weapons.

Re:I doubt it

[nacturation]

Having been shot several times, I can assure that solenoids aren't going to deliver anywhere near the amount of pain that a bullet would.

Thank you for the review... I was hoping to purchase one in order to actually feel the realistic amount of pain that Bruce Willis' character went through. In particular, I was looking forward to a "walking with glass embedded in feet" pain accessory. However, now knowing that my purchase would not deliver excruciating pain, I will defer acquisition of this device until they perfect the technology.

Re:I doubt it

[vertinox]

So having a little number on the screen go from 100 to 85 DOESN'T trivialize gunshot wounds but adding some vibration does?

I don't know if you been playing video games much these days, but the hit boxes are pretty detailed so it knows when you are shot in the head, foot, stomach, back etc. If you felt a vibration on your back that would mean your being shot that way and would know which direction they are.

Some games have a red flash on an area of the screen to try to do this, but sometimes the visual guess are being overwhelming if you are being attacked in different directions.

Also... Most newer games dropped the 100 to 85 system and show a body silhouette that go from green to red as showing 0 to 100 all over would get confusing.

Re:Why would you?

[HalifaxRage]

Oblig. PBF comic. http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF134-Game_System.gif

Terrible for movies

[Gadget_Guy]

I wouldn't mind trying this for a game character that I control, but it will piss me off (even more than it does now) when a character in a film stupidly puts themselves in harms way.

"No, don't go through that door! You're going to get us both shot!"

And on second thoughts, even computer games might be annoying. I certainly wouldn't want to wear the hat accessory when playing Super Mario Brothers.

huxley

[MancunianMaskMan]

this is old hat... check out the feelies

"Going to the Feelies this evening, Henry?" enquired the Assistant Predestinator. "I hear the new one at the Alhambra is first-rate. There's a love scene on a bearskin rug; they say it's marvellous. Every hair of the bear reproduced. The most amazing tactual effects."

I see far more use in real sims, than movies

[bugnuts]

A friend worked on police simulators, and those are very intense. They use real guns firing blanks, with laser pointers in the barrels, and lots of unknown situations. This type of feedback is something that would make it more intense.

Intensity and immersion is important for this type of training, because the brain does different things when you are in the heat of a battle... and that's difficult without immersion.

Frankly, I can't see this being used in movies. 3D glasses are cheap as hell, disposable, and are only a niche market today. Plus, the 3D mostly sucks in movies. I don't want to wear a vest 500 other patrons were wearing the past couple weeks, depending on some idiot hollywood PR freak to decide when I get punched in the chest. I'd be far more interested if I could punch something and HE would feel it.

Re:spare us the self-righteous indignation

[Anonymous Coward]

Having been shot in simulation several times, I can assure that solenoids aren't going to deliver anywhere near the amount of pain that I imagined a bullet would.

New rehash of old SHIT

[Khyber]

Sega had this for the Genesis, along with the Octoring thing, worked with Eternal Champions.

AND IT WAS HORRIBLE.

Re:I doubt it

[selven]

Greek gods are overrated, apparently Zeus's main weapon only does at most 14 damage

Re:I doubt it

[Qzukk]

[citation needed]

That's what the cop said!