Gearfuse Technology, Science, Culture & More
Professor Dzmitry Tsetserukou at the Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan developed the iFeel_IM, a virtual hugging vest that simulates your social life,�eliminating�all need for human contact period. The iFeel adds a human touch to online chat, simulating heartbeats, warm feelings, butterflies in your belly and the chill of fear.
The setup resembles the straps of a backpack which contains sensors, motors and speakers. The software in the device retrieves the emotional messages embedded in written text which triggers appropriate touch sensation in the vest. Tsetserukou says that iFeel_IM is pretty accurate and can distinguish joy, fear, anger and sadness with 90 percent accuracy. It was tested by subjects in Second Life, the online 3D virtual world.
Who says I need to interact with a human face-to-face. This is so much better for my self-esteem.
