Remember back in the early nineties, after The Lawnmower Man
movie was released, when we all thought that Virtual Reality was going
to be the wave of the future? I mean, we truly believed that we would
just put on a special helmet and goggles, and we would have a virtual
experience with all our five senses.
I suppose that it is better late than never, as a group of
scientists from the Universities of York and Warwick have invented the
Virtual Cocoon. This virtual helmet has a high-definition screen, and
internal speakers for surround sound.
What makes this helmet truly virtual is that it has tubes that can
spray scents, so you can smell your virtual experience. These tubes can
also spray in your mouth, so you can taste your virtual food.
Also included in the helmet are
temperature control functions such as a small fan and heating unit to
give the illusion of humidity. As far as I know, it does not have a
Freon tube like a refrigerator to simulate cold.
Yes, that is quite strange, and who knows if it will really work?
The creators of this device want to sell it for about 1,500 pounds
($2,675), and plan for it to hit the market in about five years.