The vest is capable of recreating highly immersive environmental experiences, such as rain and wind, along with classic effects such as impacts and collisions. You've felt raindrops during a storm, but imagine feeling the air hitting your face as you parachute from the back of an airplane in virtual reality (VR). By reproducing the sensations that our body experiences in the physical world, a new portable device promises to make the realm of virtual reality feel more real. A more experimental version of VEST technology could help blind people easily navigate crowded rooms.
To encourage developers to support the vest with their games, OWO provides them with a software development kit on their website. On the one hand, Crifar said that the bHaptics vest integrates eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors for vibrations that only use one frequency and is the same technology used in older phones and game controllers. While the VR headset is the main component, at least in the book, great detail is given to the haptic suit worn by the character, allowing him to feel the real physical input translated from the digital world. BHaptics offers a complete set of haptic vests and straps, including one for the body, two for the wrists, two for the hands and two for the feet.
The goal is to show different sensations you can feel with the vest depending on the interactions you have in virtual reality, he explained. However, a new haptic vest from a Spanish company called OWO promises to offer a level of immersion that we didn't know we wanted. The vest also comes in a variety of sizes, from XXS to XL, so it fits all body types. The vest will be completely wireless, will have a battery life of 8 hours, comes in several sizes and you can customize it through the OWO mobile application.
Full-body haptic feedback suits are just one of many haptic technologies being developed, according to Ross Smith, director of the Wearable Computer Laboratory at the University of South Australia. This, according to Crifar, helps the vest avoid sensations that don't need to be tactically moved, such as an explosion at a distance. As you lift or push a heavy object in the game, the vest will send electrical impulses to your arms, allowing you to feel the difference between several objects. What's most notable is that Westworld haptic vests are based on real-life technology designed by Eagleman and his Palo Alto startup called NeoSensory that could help blind people see the real world and deaf people hear sounds through vibration patterns.
Beyond initially showing a private military contractor relying on the vest's warnings to eliminate several host robots in a dark room, the show didn't show much more about the full potential of such technology. NeoSensory has developed a vest and bracelet version of VEST technology that allows deaf people to feel different sounds in the world through vibrations in their skin.
