Philips Force Feedback Jacket Being Tested

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2:41 PM - March 21, 2009 by Ryan Lord

A new force feedback jacket is now being tested by Philips Electronics, and it aims to help users feel their multimedia content in an entirely new way. 

In today's gaming consoles, vibration technology in controllers has become commonplace without any extra investment. Through force feedback technology, video gamers can feel the force of an explosion, the jolt of a collision, and even the jolts of flight turbulence. Even some of the more popular PC joystick and gamepad peripherals offered force feedback, and a variety of game related seats and sofas began hitting shelves with subwoofers built right in to stimulate with sound. 

Unlike most force feedback technology on the market today however, the jacket developed by Philips Electronic is built around a series of physical actuators to affect the user, instead of sound or motion based vibration. Sixty-four independently controlled actuators are distributed throughout the jacket, from the torso down to the arms. The sixty-four actuators are paired in arrays of four and linked via a serial bus, with each array sharing its own microprocessor. Surprisingly, the power needs of the jacket are small. Just two AA batteries can power the jacket for one full hour, even if twenty of the actuators were triggered continuously.

Even more impressive is the actual rate in which the actuators can be triggered. Each actuator is capable of being cycled on and off at a rate of 100 times per second. While the bulk of the actuators are centered around the torso, the arms still receive sufficient stimulation with its eight actuators per sleeve. By using four actuators in the front and four in the back of each sleeve, the sensation of an arm being touched or tapped in several different spots is achieved through a phenomenon called the "cutaneous rabbit illusion."

The technology behind the jacket was revealed by Philips at the IEEE-sponsored 2009 World Haptics Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. According to Philips senior scientist Paul Lemmens, “People don’t realize how sensitive we are to touch, although it is the first sense that fetuses develop in the womb." 

As an example of the technology put to use, Jensen later continues "We want people to feel Bruce Lee’s anxiety about whether he will get out alive, causing a shiver to go up the viewer’s spine and creating the feeling of tension in the limbs."  Even sensations such as a pulsing on the chest would be created by the jacket to imitate an elevated heartbeat. The aim according to Lemmens is to investigate emotional immersion in multimedia most of all. Whether signals are pre-encoded within a DVD, or are sent real-time via an application, the feedback desired can be achieved in several different ways.

According to Jensen, there are no plans currently to develop a set of pants to accompany the jacket, however the potential applications for the technology are limitless. 

Certainly interesting in concept, we definitely look forward to seeing this technology in action in not just movie based applications, but also in games.

Source : Tom's Hardware US

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Tindytim 03/21/2009 8:57 PM
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It sounds interesting but I doubt it will ever be marketable.

Who want to put on a jacket everytime they play a game or watch a movie, not to mention if you want to watch with multiple people, or what the temperature is like. And what about the sizing of this Jacket?

There are to many variables, and it's seems like a huge gimmick.

Claimintru 03/21/2009 9:16 PM
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I'd suit up to play a game. Especially if the jacket was stylin'

mtyermom 03/21/2009 9:58 PM
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Why am I picturing something "Michael Jacksonish"?

jerreece 03/21/2009 10:24 PM
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I can see more use for this kind of force feedback with FPS games than I can flight simulations. Imagine if something like this truly went mainstream. There you are playing Crysis, or COD4 or something, and you're feeling when you get hit.

As long as it wasn't "Michael Jacksonish" like mtyermom suggested, a couple folks might buy into it. :)

JumpKickJoe 03/21/2009 11:05 PM
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Anyone here has ever felt a .38 slug hit them while wearing a bullet proof vest? That hurts a lot. I personally would not like to wear this thing when i get a .50 cal sniper shot or some LVL39 super uber combomatic ultra that you as gamers already know, rocks your controller in your hand like a ship on the high seas lol

JumpKickJoe 03/21/2009 11:06 PM
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i'm a gamer BTW and these new VR suits and goggles really have me worried.

Can anyone remember the kid and the old man who had on the vr goggles and dies while playing a skiing game?

greenskye 03/21/2009 11:50 PM
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what happens when someone puts this on and gets so worked up he has a heart attack?

techguy911 03/22/2009 12:48 PM
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They also have to be careful how powerful actuators are if you hit someone in chest in between a heart beat it can cause there heart to stop.

http://www.foxcarolina.com/news/14250846/detail.html

Same goes for baseball, golf and any other sports....

Tekkamanraiden 03/22/2009 2:09 AM
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@mtyermom

Because it is both funny and frightening at the same time.

cheepstuff 03/22/2009 4:10 AM
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what kind of sound would be kicked off by these actuators. i would hate to be playing an intense game and hear a constant buzz.

solymnar 03/22/2009 5:45 AM
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I'd like to see stanardized 3D technology first. I'm sincerely hoping ATI jumps onto the same page with nvidia and that it just catches on from there.

pirateboy 03/22/2009 9:47 AM
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I want a porn movie suit for stimulation in all the right places ;)

TemjinGold 03/22/2009 2:49 PM
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Don't waste your money on the jacket. If you want more realism when you get hit in games just get a friend to stand behind you with a baseball bat...

NuclearShadow 03/22/2009 4:31 PM
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I find things like this to be rather useless. All they will do is apply pressure not even enough to cause pain or pleasure but just minor discomfort. The only effective way I could ever come up with to simulate realistic physical feelings is a VR that would appear real enough to trick the brain into thinking that its real. Causing lets say a kiss on the cheek to be actually felt.

demonhorde665 03/22/2009 4:54 PM
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greenskye :
what happens when someone puts this on and gets so worked up he has a heart attack?



my thoughts exactly ! LOL the human mind can convince it's self to death. i can see the episode for it on "1000 ways to die" LOL funny thing is show is even narrated by the guy that narrates FO3 LOL
but yeah i can see it now

"man dies from heart attack while playing FPSer.

Due to the realism of the game and the man's FF jacket , he stroked out when 5 enemies jumped from the bushes in Crysis 3 and filled his avaatar with led. the games graphics were so real , as were thw impacts on his FF jacket that his mind shut it's self off, compeltely convinced he was really filled with holes !"

NuclearShadow 03/22/2009 7:15 PM
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Well demonhorde I don't think it could cause actual death in that manner though one can assume someone with health problems especially heart problems could due to their condition.

Though with proper VR it would be possible to not only feel what is going on but to have the body actually respond to it. Things from adrenaline rushes to even a bloody nose is possible. Dreams can already cause these actions for some people. I mostly have violent dreams (due to my PTSD) and I often throw punches in my sleep, wake up with a bloody nose when in the dream I was hit there. (and no I did not hit myself)

I'm sure we all have had dreams that have felt so real. All we would have to do is make a VR that gives equal quality. It would produce the same effect.

MDillenbeck 03/22/2009 8:04 PM
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Personally, I'm waiting for rubber bullet gun forced feedback unit - you know, every time you get shot it fires a rubber bullet into you for the "realness" of the experience. (See how many people go for FPS then!) :P

Honestly, from some of the feedback it appears that a few people suffer from a serious lack of risk assessment ability along with the typical US view that all activities should be reduced to "zero risk".

What is the probability you will die playing baseball? Skiing? Driving in a car? Living a sedentary life (playing video games instead of playing baseball or skiing, all while eating doritos and chugging down artificial carbonated beverages)? How many people have physical injuries from their dreams that are potentially lethal? (Personally in my nightmares I've been shot, stabbed, had my throat ripped, and atomized by a nuclear blast and I am still alive.)

Take a bit of advice from your friendly Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

Don't Panic


Yes, you are going to die someday. The up side? You'll finally have achieved a zero risk! However, heart disease, diabetes, or cancer will most likely get you before you die from a video-game induced epileptic seizure (anyone remember that scare?) or heart attack. Also, when checking risk, remember to check how many times something DOES NOT happen versus does. So a kid got hit in the chest and it stopped his heart - how many times do kids get hit in the chest with baseballs and their heart keeps beating? How many times has someone eaten peas (or whatever other food) and NOT choked to death? Sure, there is a risk - but everything you do when alive has some risk.

trialsking 03/22/2009 9:29 PM
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pirateboy :
I want a porn movie suit for stimulation in all the right places




Exactly, the only real use for it.

Tindytim 03/22/2009 10:31 PM
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pirateboy :
I want a porn movie suit for stimulation in all the right places


Quote :According to Jensen, there are no plans currently to develop a set of pants to accompany the jacket

sacre 03/23/2009 2:25 AM
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techguy911 :
They also have to be careful how powerful actuators are if you hit someone in chest in between a heart beat it can cause there heart to stop.http://www.foxcarolina.com/news/14250846/detail.htmlSame goes for baseball, golf and any other sports....



lmao, really now. They are tiny air balloons that inflate and deflate according to the game, they won't even cause a bruise at "max power". To stop a heart takes quite a shock, or jolt. The heart isn't that Fragile my friend, for if it were, we'd all be wearing metal vests to protect from bumps

As for the vest, I WANT IT NOW!... imagine a freaky game in the middle of the night, and some beast hits you from behind and u feel it, my christ that would scare me.. i'd scream and wake up the kids.. thats for sure.

my_name_is_earl 03/23/2009 2:37 AM
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Jacket is a waste of dough to spend on. Try buying a projector and a 100" screen for your bedroom and game instead. You'll feel something alright!

Anonymous 03/23/2009 5:14 AM
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this could add to a horror game, as long as its rarely used it could add quite a shock

tonitelaoag 03/23/2009 7:29 AM
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this is something to wait for, i am happy a company nowadays thinks something for the consumer to feast on. tired of momo like force feedback

quinntheskamo 03/23/2009 2:04 PM
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There is already a vest that hits you with pressure in a game it is called the 3rd space gaming vest
and the web site is tngames.com and suprisingly it has drivers for several games

demonhorde665 03/23/2009 3:28 PM
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NuclearShadow :
Well demonhorde I don't think it could cause actual death in that manner though one can assume someone with health problems especially heart problems could due to their condition.Though with proper VR it would be possible to not only feel what is going on but to have the body actually respond to it. Things from adrenaline rushes to even a bloody nose is possible. Dreams can already cause these actions for some people. I mostly have violent dreams (due to my PTSD) and I often throw punches in my sleep, wake up with a bloody nose when in the dream I was hit there. (and no I did not hit myself) I'm sure we all have had dreams that have felt so real. All we would have to do is make a VR that gives equal quality. It would produce the same effect.



i think it could ahppen hell if two peopel can work them selves up to a heart attack jsut cos theya re having sex for teh first time , then some oen can easily work thier mind into believing youw ere really shot and heart attack form this

duzcizgi 03/23/2009 3:39 PM
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NuclearShadow :
Well demonhorde I don't think it could cause actual death in that manner though one can assume someone with health problems especially heart problems could due to their condition.Though with proper VR it would be possible to not only feel what is going on but to have the body actually respond to it. Things from adrenaline rushes to even a bloody nose is possible. Dreams can already cause these actions for some people. I mostly have violent dreams (due to my PTSD) and I often throw punches in my sleep, wake up with a bloody nose when in the dream I was hit there. (and no I did not hit myself) I'm sure we all have had dreams that have felt so real. All we would have to do is make a VR that gives equal quality. It would produce the same effect.



Sorry for PTSD you're suffering. I guess you were a soldier at the front line and with all your training you suffer. Think of an ordinary person in the same situation. And don't forget, there's a difference between dreams and what this suit offers: The dreams last only a couple of seconds. So, think, what a couple of seconds of increased adrenaline level does to you and a real time FPS game which continues for minutes would do to your body.

It's very likely that your heart will give up, or you'll burn your brain if you aren't a trained G.I.

bin1127 03/23/2009 5:58 PM
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does it work with pron?

sacre 03/23/2009 6:09 PM
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duzcizgi :
Sorry for PTSD you're suffering. I guess you were a soldier at the front line and with all your training you suffer. Think of an ordinary person in the same situation. And don't forget, there's a difference between dreams and what this suit offers: The dreams last only a couple of seconds. So, think, what a couple of seconds of increased adrenaline level does to you and a real time FPS game which continues for minutes would do to your body.It's very likely that your heart will give up, or you'll burn your brain if you aren't a trained G.I.



No, Dreams usually occur during REM sleep, which usually lasts up to 10 minutes, secondary REM going up to nearly an hour.

VR will not kill you. Simply "seeing" movement, then "feeling" tiny pushes on your chest isn't enough to put your brain into a shocked mode. You can still smell and touch, and you're still aware that you're in the real world. There are no records of dreams killing a man/woman. Your body won't kill itself because of a dream. VR is less "real" then a dream because in a dream your consciousness is gone and its your brain itself acting in these environments it creates where as VR you are still aware that this is all Virtual. The texturing and physics tell your brain something is wrong, that this isn't real and your brain doesn't take it seriously.

Trust me, if VR was "so real" that it would cause threat to human health, they wouldn't allow such a thing to public.

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