Soon an even realer virtual reality?

At DigitalVersus, we're always on the look out for new technology to test to show you the latest and ever more realistic gamer innovations. The difference here is that for the next stage in terms of virtual reality testing, the next tester will need to give that little bit extra…

Always aiming to get deeper into the digital world, we are used to trying any innovation that comes our way in terms of virtual reality. After the 3D sunglasses that we passed around the whole team, Track IR tested by Florent (our GRID pilot) and the Gaming Vest tested by Regis, maybe we’ll be able to get our hands on the latest virtual reality invention - what a group of English researchers are calling a "Virtual Cocoon", a rather unusual new virtual reality helmet…

We are getting used to an increasing level of realism as far as graphics, sound and physical movement goes, as well as simulators for the impact of bullets. Up till now, however, two of our five senses have remained unstimulated: taste and smell.

The “Virtual Cocoon”, has been conceived to fill these gaps with a simulator to reproduce smell, taste and even sensations of heat, cold and the wind, at the same time as vision and sound. The simulator has been studied to resemble a large helmet that covers a large part of the head of the user and gives you the impression of being in different parts of the world.

It has a wireless connection to a computer that can transmit information to another helmet elsewhere in the world. On the technical side, the screen will be both HD and HDR, meaning it will be capable of simulating a very deep balack and a very strong brightness, so you get the impression of being in both night time and full sunlight. The helmet will also include some chemical components to send smells and taste, as well as a fan / radiator to handle air, humidity and heat. As long as the image of the lion here is just an example…


The sort of applications it is aimed at are professional conferences, historic reproductions, family use for those who lack exoticism and, of course, video games. Military, medical and law and order applications are also to be considered. Price is estimated at around 1500 pounds.

According to the researchers, their helmet will stimulate the five senses so faithfully that they have decided to call the experience “Real Virtuality” instead of “Virtual Reality”. We’re not willing to take their word for it however and we’ll be sure to be putting it through it’s paces if it does ever come onto the market.

Florent and his 3D shades?		Régis in the Gamer vest?		Franck the Russian pilot?

Rendezvous in 5 years back here for the test of this technological marvel – maybe! Between now and then we should have been able to find the guinea pig to test the game in the next Left 4 Dead (latest craze from Valve: with zombies a gogo... and a Boomer *).


* Here’s the Boomer, without a doubt something to strike the fear into our virtual helmet tester: