While presenting at the Future Tech Now Show in London on April 5, Dr Fridolin Wild was able to sneak into the new Tesla suit, experiencing the effects of electro-muscular stimulation (EMS) on his own body. The suit embeds muscle-stimulation pads and motion sensors – to be applied in anything from rehabilitation to gaming. “When you activate the six pack pads, you literally can make people feel a subtle kick in the guts”, so Dr Wild. “You still feel a strange electric tingling on your skin, but once immersed in a simulation or game, this quickly fades to the background”, he continues. With the technology, it is also possible to make people move, see here for an earlier reflection on how people feel about their bodies being remote controlled. The latest version of the suit also holds sensors for galvanic skin resistence and heat pads, promising new approaches to personalisation and adaptation.
Also exhibited at the show: electronic cocktails, using the same principle of electric stimulation – of the taste-buds on the tongue, to turn soda water – combined with fragrances – into a virtual cocktail.