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Student-Made Gaming Vest Simulates Gun Shot Feel, But Not Medical Bills

by Caleb Johnson on March 31, 2010 at 04:25 PM

Have you ever wondered what that bone-crushing tackle in 'Madden NFL' would feel like? No? Well, neither have we, but that doesn't stop a University of Pennsylvania graduate student from investigating the effect. According to Wired, Saurabh Palan has created a gaming vest that, due to four solenoid actuators in the chest and back, delivers the impact of events on the screen. A cluster of motors hidden inside the vest kick in at the appropriate time to simulate different, and often painful, sensations in the appropriate region of the torso. For example, if your character gets shot in the gut, you'll feel simulated gunfire at the same point on your own body. It's not exactly our idea of a good time, but, for some gamers, this push toward total immersion could be exactly what they want.

For now, the Tactile Gaming Vest (TGV) can only simulate the feeling of a gun shot, blood flow or slashing movements. Still, it's not hard to imagine this device, and ones like it, catching on and incorporating more sensations. As for us, a rumble pack is good enough. After all, we play games so we can experience the rush of car chases and shoot-outs without the physical consequences. [From: Wired and Saurabh Palan]

Tags: electronics, GunShot, peripherals, saurabh palan, SaurabhPalan, simulation, students, tactilegamingvest, top, VideoGames, vr, weird

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