The latest invention of the graduate robotics students from the University of Pennsylvania is a system that involves the use of Tactile Gaming Vest (TGV) and allows gamers to feel what is happening with their character in a video game. They decided to use the 4th dimension of haptic reality.
The group of students includes Saurabh Palan, Ruoyao Wang, Nathaniel Naukam, Edward Li, and Katherine J. Kuchenbecker. They thought of developing a system that would offer a person, playing a video game, a more realistic feeling of gunshots, knife slashings, and blood that drips from the wounds.
To test their latest invention, the team created their own 3D first person shooter and designed their own map. The Tactile Gaming Vest features solenoid actuators stored in its chest, as well as on the folder’s front and back. These actuators go off each time the person wearing the vest gets shot in the game. With the help of special vibrating motors users can sense where they’ve actually been shot. Besides, the vest shows blood dripping from the wound.
However, the TGV was not created for gamers only, it can also be applied in 4D movies and in the military, being able to simulate what occurs in the battle. More at iRoboticist

source: www.infoniac.com