This box transmits emotions to your hand
This slightly unwieldy looking machine can apparently deliver emotions to your hand through "mid-air haptics", pinpointing areas on your palm that are attuned to certain emotions, and stimulating them. A study from the University Of Sussex used an Ultrahaptics system to communicate emotions between test groups, with the haptic group stating significantly higher stimulation compared to a test group that was only shown a picture. (Mere optical stimulation? Pssch.) Dr Marianna Obrist, Lecturer at the Department of Informatics, has apparently figured out that stimulating different areas of the hand conveys different things: hot bursts of air to the area around the thumb, index finger and middle part of the palm generate excitement, while sad feelings can be delivered by slow and moderate stimulation on the outer palm and areas around the little finger.
Dr. Obrist has now received a million-pound research grant from the European Research Council for a five-year project to expand the research. It includes efforts in both taste and smell, aiming to setup a framework for multi-sensory experiences that inventors will be able to tap into. She said: "Relatively soon, we may be able to realize truly compelling and multi-faceted media experiences, such as 9-dimensional TV, or computer games that evoke emotions through taste." No The Walking Dead remakes, please.
