Thermoelectrics Could Let You Feel the Heat In Games 102
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by
timothy
from the better-than-bullet-wounds dept.
from the better-than-bullet-wounds dept.
myshadows writes "Tech Review has an interesting article on how Tokyo Metropolitan University researchers have been able to give a sensory addition to gaming peripherals — namely, temperature. 'As the range of interactions with digital environments expands, it's logical to ask what's next: Smell-o-vision has been on the horizon for something like 50 years, but there's a dark horse stalking this race: thermoelectrics. Based on the Peltier effect, these solid-state devices are easy to incorporate into objects of reasonable size, i.e. video game controllers. In this configuration, just announced at the 2010 SIGGRAPH conference, a pair of thermoelectric surfaces on either side of a controller rapidly heat up or cool down in order to simulate appropriate conditions in a virtual environment.'"
For an even greater sensation... (Score:5, Interesting)
Reminded of the videogame scene: James Bond NSNA? (Score:3, Interesting)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUw9BJS06NI [youtube.com]
Re:Watch where you put that! (Score:3, Interesting)
Yeah, haha, genitals.
Personally, I'd be more interested in alternate sensory input: embedded (or glued for a less permanent effect) magnets [wired.com] and er... vibrating compass belt [wired.com].
Ideas for gameplay connect? Belt might be neat for spider sense....
Re:Just one thing ... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:For an even greater sensation... (Score:3, Interesting)
This would be an ideal research ground for the philosophical testing of pain without any long term real physical consequences. I wonder if one could get used to the pain signals after a while.
Re:But it's a heat pump... (Score:3, Interesting)
Connect the DC source one way, and this is the cold side, connect it the other way, now that is the hot side. It's the reason that they are generally used in the cheezy little heater/cooler units you can get for in-car use.
Re:Watch where you put that! (Score:3, Interesting)
Finally! Someone besides myself who posts something related to sensory substitution/augmentation! ^^
The compass belt would be a cool add-on to a lot of games. Make one that works like the linked one (with real world input) but add a Bluetooth interface so you can also get information from games and such. From what I've read about the (crazy) level of integration with these types of devices, I'd bet something like that would add a very decent upgrade to the sense of immersion (if not exactly useful information) to many games.
What about Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation [physoc.org]? I tried this with a 9V battery and a couple of makeshift electrodes fashioned from aluminum foil and duct tape. Ok, so I had no control of the current being passed through my head (which I believe should be <1,5mA) but when I popped on the electrodes, stood up with my eyes closed and flipped the switch.. Hell, I almost fell into my TV, and my friend who tried it actually did end up on the floor. It really does tip your balance in the direction of the anode, and I can imagine using this with f.ex. driving or flying simulator type games would be quite the experience.
Perhaps a headband or hat of some sort with proximity sensors and small button vibrators? Something like the Haptic Radar [u-tokyo.ac.jp] project only discreet enough that us nerds and geeks at least would consider wearing it now and then even when not gaming (because sensomotoric correlations are the key to integration). Like with the compass belt idea, add Bluetooth and the ability for games to override the real-world information. Perhaps an added sense of distance (just like the headband works in the real world) to walls and objects in an FPS game?