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Teslasuit / Somnium Space
Teslasuit: This $20,000 haptic suit lets you feel virtual reality environments
68 haptic points mean you can feel pounding music, rainfall and even bullets
Although visually impressive and capable of briefly tricking our brains into thinking we are moving, virtual reality (VR) games are primarily a visual experience.
But what if you could actually feel the virtual environment? That's what a new VR accessory, called the Teslasuit DK1, claims to achieve. No relation to electric car company Tesla, the suit has 68 haptic points capable of simulating a range of physical sensations all over your body.
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That way, you can feel the virtual environment like never before. Rain, from a gentle shower to an intense thunderstorm, can be felt landing on your shoulders; you can feel the touch of other players, the pounding bass of a virtual concert, and even the impact of bullets shot at your body. It is also possible to replicate physical exertion with the suit.
The suit is the result of a partnership between Teslasuit and Somnium Space, a social VR platform that uses blockchain technology. As well as haptic feedback, the suit features motion tracking to map your movements in VR without any other sensors or wearables, and biometric data capture.
Although gaming is an obvious application for the suit, Somnium Space says how it can be used across a number of industry sectors, such as training first responders and pilots.
This all sounds good, and we can absolutely see the appeal of the Teslasuit, but for now the suit is expensive and only being offered in very limited quantities. For now, 10 suits will be auctioned on OpenSea, with one having already sold for 10 wrapped ethereum, equivalent to approximately $20,000.The remaining auctions take place through July.
For information on how to bid for a suit, read this Medium post written by Somnium Space.
It's expensive and has limited use cases for now, but we think the Teslasuit must surely be the ultimate VR accessory.
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