Wild New Technology Can Remote Control The Human Body
A wild new VR technology has been developed that allows remote control of muscles in the human body in a laboratory setting. While the technique itself is well established, known as electrical stimulation of a muscle, this application is unique. Researchers used various combinations of this EMS technology with AirPods, a VR headset, a drone, and a guitar for impressive demonstrations of practical uses.
A particular challenge in VR app development is guiding the user to look in a particular direction. This is different than presentations made on a TV, computer monitor or smartphone where there's no doubt about where the action will take place. VR creates an entire world surrounding the user so important details might appear anywhere, including to the right, left, above, below, and even behind. If there are objects that might obscure vision like a table, walking and bending might be needed to see something.
Related: Apple's AR/VR Headset Could Be Coming Soon
Researchers at the University of Chicago have been exploring new ways to use electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) in combination with advanced consumer electronics. The end result is actually remote controlling the human body. Spotted by VRScout, this wild new application of EMS might sound frightening without the right context but it can be a very useful tool for remote education and guidance. A demonstration combined EMS and VR so the user's head could be turned toward a virtual fire when they couldn't spot it on their own. A YouTube video shows the technology in action.
By tracking the head movements of an AirPods user with the accelerometer data from the earbuds, it's possible to control the tilt of another person's head via neck-mounted EMS. The nodding heads were
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