Active Belt buzzes you in the right direction

Next time you get lost, you might wish you were wearing the "Active Belt". Consisting of seven pager motors and a GPS unit, this prototype will buzz you in the right direction (forward, back, right left) in order to direct you towards your destination. Let's just hope the porn industry doesn't get a hold of it first.
ActiveBelt: Belt-type Wearable Tactile Display for Directional Navigation Link
Posted by Jonah Brucker-Cohen |
Oct 1, 2007 12:54 PM
GPS |
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Comments
Oldest comments listed first.
| Posted by: SnowDrifter on October 1, 2007 at 3:09 PM |
I am pretty sure this would sterilize you. But it isn't likely you would get laid wearing it anyways :).
| Posted by: volkemon on October 1, 2007 at 9:25 PM |
@ SnowDrifter....
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
thanks!
| Posted by: sk2001 on October 2, 2007 at 5:13 AM |
see also feelSpace [English version] (U Osnabrück, Germany)...
| Posted by: amp2003 on October 2, 2007 at 8:41 AM |
I think there was a similar article in wired less than a year ago (no link yet, googlefu isn't working today). A guy wore about a dozen vibro motors around his waist. From the time he woke up, to the time he went to bed, the motor closest to the magnetic north would slightly vibrate. The intention was to hack his senses, so that he had a better understanding of where north is, even when he's not wearing the belt.
| Posted by: amp2003 on October 2, 2007 at 8:43 AM |
Freakin' figures. As soon as I post a comment here, I decide to try one last combo of keywords. Anyway, here's the article.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.04/esp.html
| Posted by: rich.thomas on October 2, 2007 at 12:52 PM |
I guess it probably wouldn't be a good idea to use one of these to get around an airport or military facility.
| Posted by: Shadyman on October 2, 2007 at 8:41 PM |
Heh. Porn industry... "North! South! North! South!"
But I digress..
This is similar but different enough in itself.. This one is directing you to a location. I'm sure it would go fairly nutso if you stood still or sat somewhere for a little while. Which way are you facing? Which way are you going? Who knows. Car GPSs assume the last angle you were headed is where you're pointing, but as far as humans go, we can rock back and forth in a chair, turn in place, etc, which may not register a big enough difference in distance.
Anyways, I'm rambling, and I forgot what I was going to say.
Cheerio.
| Posted by: CharlieHorse on October 3, 2007 at 9:08 AM |
This would be great for the visually impaired, or anyone suffering from any kind of proprioceptive malady. Anyone thought of testing it for that purpose?
| Posted by: bekathwia on October 3, 2007 at 11:06 AM |
I remember doing a project like this where a group of us tried flocking like birds with pager-motor belts. I had mine around my leg, but everybody with waist-belts ended up feeling totally nauseated after the 15 minute demo.
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