If you thought virtual reality was limited audio and video, think again. British scientists are developing ways to combine all the five senses to create a ‘real’ virtual reality where you can hear, see, taste, smell and feel. British researchers have developed a virtual cocoon that enables a virtual sensory experience and have dubbed this effort as ‘Real Virtuality‘.

The cocoon comes with four speakers that provide surround sound, and smell tube would release appropriate smells. There also is a device that squirts five basic tastes and a fan that blows hot or cold air would make you ‘feel’. There also would be a high definition LCD screen and all this would be connected to the satellite and the home computer. Go figure.

Make sure  you wipe your mouth after using the Virtual Cocoon as it would have squirted quite a lot all over your face. I somehow don’t like the idea of experiencing a movie like Slumdog Millionaire on this gadget. It would stink, literally, in all the five senses.

Ok, so you have planted your house with a rocking surround sound system and plasma TV. The lights further add to the ambience. Right? But one thing is missing — smells! And that is where designer David Sweeney steps in. He presents a way to treat our nose to a virtual reality which he likes to call the smell jungle.

Actually, the gadgets in question works on the fact that smells evoke memories, so much so that your thinking can be altered. So, the smell jungle observes our environment and its Quale diffuser learns to associate a unique lend of smell with a specific event. These fragrances are then played throughout the day.

The diffuser has a collection of 16 crafted smells. These pass through the piezoelectric micro-pumps onto a piezo diffuser to be blended accurately. The end result is broadcast into the area with the help of a fan. Some parts of the fragrances give information while the others evoke awareness which is beyond the task in hand.

Quite a joyride!

Via yankodesign

Virtual Reality has indeed taken off to a whole new plane in a very short time and with gaming companies constantly trying to outdo one another; it seems that the world of gaming is only going to get better for the hardcore enthusiast. Yet, with all the PS3, Wii and Xbox madness around, there is still no match for a flight/driving simulator pod that transforms you into a whole new world where you really are taken in to gaming nirvana. Mark III from Podwombats is a simulator that will create your own gaming zone in your own home and the best part is that it sliding hood shuts itself up to give you undisturbed pleasure.

Mark II features doors that shut you from the environment outside and once you are in, you truly feel like you are riding in the cockpit of that multi-billion dollar jet. Mark II can be customized to the needs of the customer and even custom paint jobs are done to fulfill your aesthetic needs. The state-of-the-art technology along with some awesome fun makes the Mark III a very special choice for gaming-heads. For now though, the price on Mark III is not known. But be sure you get one of these if you really want to get into the thick of gaming action.

Via: Podwombats