Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab have crated a sensory fiction device that takes the reader inside the experiences being described in a book. Wearing a robotic suit allows the reader to physically feel the sensations that the main character in the book is feeling.
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab have created a sensory fiction device that takes the reader inside the experiences being described in a book.
Wearing a robotic suit allows the reader to physically feel the sensations that the main character in the book is feeling.
The first book to be programmed for use with the suit is called The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree, about a character who is having her emotions and actions controlled by an outside force.
The cover of the book changes colors depending on what page it is opened to, using 150 LED lights.
The suit can change temperature, simulate a shiver, or cause the reader’s heart rate to increase, corresponding with what the character is feeling.
Felix Heibeck, from MIT, who worked on the Sensory Fiction project is quoted as saying: “This is not a product idea, but rather an exploration in the context of science fiction stories. It is an artifact meant to provoke discussions.”
Disney is also reportedly working on books that interact with objects under the reader’s control.
