Force Feedback Suit for Gaming

It might look like something Jean-Paul Gaultier would wrap around some anorexic model as the prances down a Milan catwalk, but it's actually a " vibrotactile" suit designed to help teach people physical activities.  This proves two things: modern technology is awesome, and researchers like inventing new words.

A wearable system that analyses the movements of the behaviour and provides instant feedback, the result of research by an MIT team (as described in PhysOrg) published in a recent issue of IEEE Transactions on Robotics (pdf here).  The current system uses similar motion capture technology to that used to record human movement for modern CGI films and videogames - but instead of the person telling the computer how people move, now the computer is talking balk and telling the human how he should be moving instead.  You might want to mark this off on you "How long until the machines take over" calendar.

Actuators built into the system vibrate more or less depending on how far off track you are, creating the impression of a force funneling your limbs into the correct position.  This immediate tactile feedback speeds learning, providing an almost subconscious training of what actions are right and wrong, guiding the learner towards the correct behavior.

They have several challenges to overcome before advancing to a full body motion-training suit, the most of awesome of which they quote as "investigating the human ability to respond to large amounts of feedback".  There is simply no way to say that phrase which doesn't make you sound like a James Bond villain.  I can only hope the engineers have the sense to laugh maniacally during the testing, but remember that they're not allowed to actually kill test subjects in their gigantic but slowly-triggered vibrate-o-tron.

The researchers warn that the technology they are using is very expensive, and unsuitable for home application - but look around you, you can probably see four things people said that about before.  Hell, you're likely wearing at least one super-sub-miniaturized marvel.  They do have a couple of ideas for future commercial application, such as correcting posture to avoid back pain and helping golfers improve their swing.  I'm horrified: using such awesome technology for back pain and golf is like discovering the Ark of the Covenant and using it as a coffee table.

This gadget is clearly built expressly for gaming, even if those who actually built it can't see that.  I can already think of a bunch of videogaming uses for this system:

- Physically lock up and freeze the wearer if it detects them selecting " Shotty Snipers" on Halo 3.

- Force World of Warcraft players to actually get up and go to the bathroom once every four hours. Specially uninsulated wiring will punish them if they 'find a faster way'.

- Train players in the correct motion of kissing their own asses goodbye if they challenge me in Lumines. 

I'm sure you can think of some more.

Posted by Luke McKinney