Researchers at MIT in the USA created the first book that is worn and allows the reader to feel (literally and not just in his imagination) the experiences of the protagonists.
This book, created by researchers at MIT in the USA, is not like the others, but is taken from the pages of science fiction. «Worn» on the reader’s body and allows him to literally feel the emotions of the plot’s protagonists.
The reader wears a special vest that contains electronic sensors and other electronic components and which is connected to a book «augmented reality», that he holds in his hands. As the plot of the book evolves, this -in cooperation with the vest- creates a series of artificial experiences (periodic temperature changes, vibrations on the body, lighting and sound effects, etc.), that convey to the reader sensations related to what he reads, so that he gets better into the «climate» of the book.
The changes are not made randomly, but vary depending on the content of the page the user-reader is reading. The book changes artificially even to the rhythm that the reader's heart beats – the right moment of emotional climax. Moreover, the connected vest has 150 LED lights that increase and decrease the lighting around the reader, as well as small air sacs that occasionally press against the body to create the necessary psycho‑somatic pressure – when the scenario requires it.
The technique called «sensory imagination» (under the «scientific imagination») was developed by researchers Felix Haibek, Alexis Hooup and Zili Leggo of MIT's multimedia lab, according to the British «Gardian» and «Telegraph».
«Sensory imagination concerns new ways to experience and create stories», the researchers said, adding that «traditionally literature creates and evokes emotions and empathy through words and images. By using a combination of interconnected sensors and actuators, the author of sensory imagination now has new means to convey to readers the plot, mood and emotions, while also always leaving space for the reader's imagination. The new tools can be appropriately leveraged to create a storytelling experience that will fully absorb the reader and be tailored to their measures».
It is nevertheless ambiguous how authors and readers will «accept» such reading technology in the future. Undoubtedly, some will not be excited at all by the «manipulation» of the reading experience. Others, again, will probably appreciate the «enrichment» of reading -and their imagination- through their senses.
Source: Athens Agency
Source: protothema.gr
