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Games

Haptic Gaming Vest Simulates Punches, Shots, Stabbing 110

Posted by Soulskill from the thumpity-thump-thump dept.
An anonymous reader writes "IEEE Spectrum reports that University of Pennsylvania researchers have developed a Tactile Gaming Vest that smacks and vibrates as players get shot in a game based on Half-Life 2. Four solenoid actuators in the chest and shoulders in front and two solenoids in the back give you the feeling of a simulated gunshot. In addition, vibrating eccentric-mass motors clustered against the shoulder blades make you feel a slashing effect as you get stabbed from behind. If this kind of vest could be linked to a movie while you watch it, the experience would be that much more exciting. Or as one of the creators put it, 'every time Bruce Willis gets shot, you feel it.'"
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Haptic Gaming Vest Simulates Punches, Shots, Stabbing More

Haptic Gaming Vest Simulates Punches, Shots, Stabbing

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  • Why would you? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Would anyone really want to use one of these after the novelty factor wore off?

    no...

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by HalifaxRage ( 640242 )
      Oblig. PBF comic. http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF134-Game_System.gif [pbfcomics.com]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sa1lnr ( 669048 )

      I doubt anyone will want to use one these after the bruises have worn off. :)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Deosyne ( 92713 )

      Yes, I would wear this every time that I played Bad Company 2 because it would provide me with more precise feedback as to which direction I'm taking fire from than just having my screen flash for a split-second. I don't even care if it feels in any way realistic as long as it is noticeable and doesn't make a crapload of noise like some similar vest that is commercially available now.

  • The dude... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Well, I still jerk off manually

  • Having been shot several times, I can assure that solenoids aren't going to deliver anywhere near the amount of pain that a bullet would. In fact, it is a damn insult to veterans and other gunshot victims to trivialize the suffering caused by gunshot wounds.

    • Re:I doubt it (Score:5, Interesting)

      by zlel ( 736107 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @02:38AM (#31667448) Homepage
      I thought that's the whole point of games and movies, that you don't want to go through the real deal, but want to think that you did?

    • Re:I doubt it (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Rakishi ( 759894 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @02:39AM (#31667456)

      So having a little number on the screen go from 100 to 85 DOESN'T trivialize gunshot wounds but adding some vibration does?

      • Re:I doubt it (Score:4, Insightful)

        by vertinox ( 846076 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @02:54AM (#31667534)

        So having a little number on the screen go from 100 to 85 DOESN'T trivialize gunshot wounds but adding some vibration does?

        I don't know if you been playing video games much these days, but the hit boxes are pretty detailed so it knows when you are shot in the head, foot, stomach, back etc. If you felt a vibration on your back that would mean your being shot that way and would know which direction they are.

        Some games have a red flash on an area of the screen to try to do this, but sometimes the visual guess are being overwhelming if you are being attacked in different directions.

        Also... Most newer games dropped the 100 to 85 system and show a body silhouette that go from green to red as showing 0 to 100 all over would get confusing.

      • Actually, in a way, I can see the point. Seeing a health bar on the screen painted differently wouldn't cause anyone to think that they experienced a realistic simulation of being shot (*), and no dev claimed so. Whereas the whole thrust of this vest seems to be that if they vibrate a bit over that spot, it's teh real deal. That kind of a claim _is_ kinda trivializing it.

        (*)Well, nobody except the politicians, of course. Those seem to think bunny-hopping along a corridor and clicking a mouse are going to tr

        • Actually, in a way, I can see the point. Seeing a health bar on the screen painted differently wouldn't cause anyone to think that they experienced a realistic simulation of being shot (*), and no dev claimed so. Whereas the whole thrust of this vest seems to be that if they vibrate a bit over that spot, it's teh real deal. That kind of a claim _is_ kinda trivializing it.

          Yes, in the same way that using a Wiimote to play some Wii tennis trivialises the years of training that a world champion has to go through - i.e. it doesn't trivialise it much. Likewise if I crash my car in GTA and the gamepad vibrates, that's hardly trivialising road traffic accidents, it's just providing more user feedback. If anything the fact that the main protagonist in most games can take a ridiculous amount of punishment and in many cases instantly heal from bullet wounds by either collecting a firs

    • Re:I doubt it (Score:5, Funny)

      by sonicmerlin ( 1505111 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @02:40AM (#31667462)
      Having been in a one-on-one fight with an ancient Greek god, I can assure everyone that God of War utterly fails to deliver the kind of pain being slashed by a god's razor-sharp weapon feels like. This game is an insult to veteran god-fighters like myself for trivializing the suffering caused by ancient Greek gods' weapons.

    • Re:I doubt it (Score:5, Funny)

      by nacturation ( 646836 ) * <nacturation@gmAUDENail.com minus poet> on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @02:43AM (#31667476) Journal

      Having been shot several times, I can assure that solenoids aren't going to deliver anywhere near the amount of pain that a bullet would.

      Thank you for the review... I was hoping to purchase one in order to actually feel the realistic amount of pain that Bruce Willis' character went through. In particular, I was looking forward to a "walking with glass embedded in feet" pain accessory. However, now knowing that my purchase would not deliver excruciating pain, I will defer acquisition of this device until they perfect the technology.

    • spare us the self-righteous indignation (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward

      TFA says that it gives the feeling of a simulated gunshot.

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Having been shot in simulation several times, I can assure that solenoids aren't going to deliver anywhere near the amount of pain that I imagined a bullet would.

    • Perhaps you should change your name to 'TooSlowGuy' or 'DumbassWhoStandsUpToGetShot' or something ...

      I know several soldiers that have been shot. I don't know any who talk about being shot 'several times', they certainly wouldn't be very proud of it.

      I have a distinct feeling you've never been shot.

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by TheRaven64 ( 641858 )
        He never said he was a soldier. Maybe he's the guy that tells redneck jokes in bars in Texas...

    • Re: (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Having been shot several times, I can assure that solenoids aren't going to deliver anywhere near the amount of pain that a bullet would. In fact, it is a damn insult to veterans and other gunshot victims to trivialize the suffering caused by gunshot wounds.

      Your implication that others who have experienced gunshots share your irrational hypersensitivity is the real insult. Though I don't think you can be blamed for that, as it's obviously just the trauma talking. Let go of that and you'll feel ... refreshed.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Johann Lau ( 1040920 )

      ORLY?

      In the words of Bill Hicks: "shut the fuck up and go wait in a ditch until we need you to kill somebody"

      Soldiers, in general and as a whole, cause much more trauma than they suffer... and that's something to be stopped, not respected.

    • Re: (Score:1, Offtopic)

      by Aim Here ( 765712 )

      BadAnalogyGuy (945258) writes:

      "Having been shot several times, ..."

      I know Slashdotters are a pedantic bunch, and prone to nerdrage, but shooting someone for bad analogies is a bit extreme, even for them...

    • Re: (Score:1, Offtopic)

      by oodaloop ( 1229816 )
      So not only have you been shot, but several times? And as I recall from a previous post of yours, you have multiple advanced degrees from MIT, Yale, and others. And let me guess, you have a 147 IQ and a 9 inch penis?

    • You can watch "Passion of The Christ" and the vest supposedly simulates stigmata.

  • Negative feedback (Score:5, Funny)

    by TSchut ( 1314115 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @02:36AM (#31667440)
    I would prefer positive feedback instead. Say, every time you kill a baddie, the suit gently rubs your back for a few seconds. That would be a lot more motivating. Now watch this thread deteriorate!

  • haptic feedback (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @02:38AM (#31667450)

    That's not the kind of haptic feedback I'm primarily interested in...

  • More details please (Score:4, Funny)

    by clarkkent09 ( 1104833 ) * on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @02:39AM (#31667458)
    Or as one of the creators put it, 'every time Bruce Willis gets shot, you feel it.

    So if there is a fight, could you pick which character's you are experiencing, the one throwing the punch or the one on the receiving end? The reason I am asking is that the application of this technology for porn is pretty obvious, but a mistake in picking the character could be pretty devastating.

  • In addition, vibrating eccentric-mass motors

    You're trying too hard. We all know what vibrators are. Every video game controller on the market now has rumble errr ... vibrating eccentric mass motors ... kind of redundant there aren't you?

    Or as one of the creators put it, 'every time Bruce Willis gets shot, you feel it.

    Welcome to 20 years ago guys. Again, video game controllers already have rumble support, and there have been other devices like this before everyone jumped on the 'haptic' bandwagon recently

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by dadelbunts ( 1727498 )

      What happens is that about 15 minutes in you forget all about the annoying little vibrators and take the retarded 40 pound vest off so you can stop sweating and being tickled.

      Im sure people said the same about rumble controllers. Try playing a racing game with rumble and then without it. Makes a HUGE difference. It adds a whole other dimension to the game when you dont only see he rumble strips on a corner but can feel them. Then i can pay more attention to what is directly in front while at the same time know how close to the edge of a corner i am.

      • I can see both sides of the argument. Rumble can provide some excellent feedback when used well, and your example is one. I've also played other games where it was abused so much that I've had to disable it in the system settings before I can play the game without feeling like I'm suffering Vibration White Finger [wikipedia.org].

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by BobPaul ( 710574 ) *

      how the general (and incorrect imo) trend now days is 'positive feedback' for teaching animals

      Why do you say incorrect? It's been quite clear since Pavlov that positive feedback produces better results than either negative feedback or punishment (which are different, BTW). Both negative feedback and punishment result in much quicker extinction of the desired behavior than even occasional positive reinforcement for maintenance. The only thing new about modern times is recognizing that people are also animals and attempting to use positive feedback more liberally on ourselves and our children. No anim

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by drkim ( 1559875 )
      ...and this thing:
      http://www.gamingvests.com/ [gamingvests.com]
      "Feel every kick, punch or bullet Experience G-forces like never before Get lost in a whole new world of realistic gaming"
      ...was doing this back in "07, so why are they doing this 'new research' now...?

  • Terrible for movies (Score:5, Funny)

    by Gadget_Guy ( 627405 ) * on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @03:05AM (#31667592)

    I wouldn't mind trying this for a game character that I control, but it will piss me off (even more than it does now) when a character in a film stupidly puts themselves in harms way.

    "No, don't go through that door! You're going to get us both shot!"

    And on second thoughts, even computer games might be annoying. I certainly wouldn't want to wear the hat accessory when playing Super Mario Brothers.

  • huxley (Score:5, Insightful)

    by MancunianMaskMan ( 701642 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @03:06AM (#31667604)
    this is old hat... check out the feelies [huxley.net]

    "Going to the Feelies this evening, Henry?" enquired the Assistant Predestinator. "I hear the new one at the Alhambra is first-rate. There's a love scene on a bearskin rug; they say it's marvellous. Every hair of the bear reproduced. The most amazing tactual effects."

  • I see far more use in real sims, than movies (Score:4, Interesting)

    by bugnuts ( 94678 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @03:15AM (#31667644) Journal

    A friend worked on police simulators, and those are very intense. They use real guns firing blanks, with laser pointers in the barrels, and lots of unknown situations. This type of feedback is something that would make it more intense.

    Intensity and immersion is important for this type of training, because the brain does different things when you are in the heat of a battle... and that's difficult without immersion.

    Frankly, I can't see this being used in movies. 3D glasses are cheap as hell, disposable, and are only a niche market today. Plus, the 3D mostly sucks [slashdot.org] in movies. I don't want to wear a vest 500 other patrons were wearing the past couple weeks, depending on some idiot hollywood PR freak to decide when I get punched in the chest. I'd be far more interested if I could punch something and HE would feel it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by BobPaul ( 710574 ) *

      Of course.. if you get shot in a police trainer, it's game over, so I'm not entirely sure this would enhance training meaningfully.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by delinear ( 991444 )
      Cinemas could cut down the costs by hiring vagrants to sit beside you and punch you when the protagonist gets shot. They'd probably work for popcorn.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by toolie ( 22684 )

      We tested a system like this about 10 years ago or so for helicopter pilots to better alert them from which direction they were being shot at. It never made it past the 'test in our sim' stage.

  • every time Bruce Willis gets shot, you feel it.

    They obviously don't have that right. The real fun is in watching him get shot without being involved. (Now if it only were real shots....) Cause frankly, who wants to identify with Bruce?

    • 75 dead, 150 wounded as haptic vest is tested during Die Hard movie

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by binkzz ( 779594 )

      every time Bruce Willis gets shot, you feel it.

      They obviously don't have that right. The real fun is in watching him get shot without being involved. (Now if it only were real shots....) Cause frankly, who wants to identify with Bruce?

      Maybe what you feel is the feedback of the gun instead, every time Bruce is shot.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AP31R0N ( 723649 )

      Not me, unless the haptics can simulate what it was like to have sex with Demi Moore.

  • New rehash of old SHIT (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Khyber ( 864651 ) <techkitsune@gmail.com> on Tuesday March 30, 2010 @04:03AM (#31667868) Homepage Journal

    Sega had this for the Genesis, along with the Octoring thing, worked with Eternal Champions.

    AND IT WAS HORRIBLE.

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      And the Wii was the Power Glove.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Khyber ( 864651 )

        Guess you've never played DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 3 - the Wii was NOT a power glove in that regard.

        Granted they should have had motionplus built-in originally.

    • How is it that nobody else remembers this?

      Been there, done that, it was a crap idea then, it's a crap idea now.

  • Idiot developers - work on a cure for cancer instead!

  • While neural links are non-existant to basic at best at the moment, for some reason this kinda seems like this could be abused considerably in the future. If the brain somehow begins to believe that the input from the vest is real, I'm curious if we could see some weird "Matrix-style" deaths (similar like the return from the Oracle fight). Just a thought out loud... probably harmless.

  • Is this a HL2 mod? A new game created using the Source engine? Some new non-Source game that is a remake of HL2?

  • Why are they wasting time on this? Just get me my interactive holographic games with "rewards and punishments."

  • Punches, gunshots and stabbing? I recommend we up the power on this thing and require everyone accessing the internet to wear one.

  • When I play a videogame I play the character itself, so feedback is important. But when I watch a movie I don't imagine I'm one of the character. I'm watching a story about other people. Why the hell should I have physical feedback about what they're going through? It makes no sense.

  • This makes perfect sense because of course the part of shooters that people are most interested in accurate simulations of is the part where you suffer excruciating pain and spend months in the hospital recuperating. If you want total realism, every time you buy a copy of Modern Warfare 2, it should self destruct after you are killed the first time, forcing you to go out and buy another, bringing home the terrrible cost of war. Yeah, right...
  • Technology [tngames.com] that already exists becomes headline news.

  • nothing says "i've been shot" like having a vibrator strapped to your chest.

  • For $20, you can buy a not-exactly-new 1-actuator vest here [oshealtd.com] (or eBAY)

  • Four solenoid actuators in the chest and shoulders in front and two solenoids in the back give you the feeling of a simulated gunshot.

    But how do they know what a simulated gunshot feels like?

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