These High-Tech Virtual Reality Shoes Can Simulate Walking on Different Surfaces
With virtual reality growing at an exponential rate, companies are finding new ways to further immerse the user into the experience. The latest component of the virtual reality world could be footwear, thanks to Japanese tech brand Cerevo.
The Cerevo Taclim, spotted and tested by Gizmodo‘s Michael Nunez, is a set of high-tech shoes and gloves that use haptic functions (vibrations) to simulate a virtual setting. According to Nunez, the shoes are actually able to duplicate the feel of walking on surfaces such as concrete, sand and even water.
“Imagine walking in a VR game and kicking enemy character: When you hit the enemy’s body, it naturally feels soft, and when you hit enemy’s shield, it feels hard,” Cerevo writes of the Taclim, which makes use of eight different interactive “tactile devices” — three in each shoe, and one in each glove. “By using your own hands and feet, your whole body is completely immersed in another world, giving you experiences only made possible by Taclim’s interactive tactile devices.”
Cerevo, founded in Tokyo in 2007, focuses on innovative products including cameras, robotics and other virtual reality components. The company developed the Taclim in collaboration with Japan’s Nidec Seimitsu Corp., which specializes in haptic components. According to Nunez, the Taclim is expected to begin shipping this fall with a retail price between $1,000 and $1,500.
For more information, visit Cerevo.
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