A new VR suit with soft-robotic muscles could enhance VR experiences

 

A new VR suit with soft-robotic muscles could enhance VR experiences, assist in motion capture, and aid patients with Parkinson's disease.  The "Meta Suit," developed by ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), features artificial muscles that allow users to interact more naturally in VR without relying on visual cues or camera systems. The Meta Suit incorporates hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic actuators, which function similarly to zip-lock bags that expand or contract with electric currents. The objective was to create a lightweight, flexible suit that provides a more immersive and realistic VR experience, allowing users to feel sensations. The suit's muscles can be controlled by signals, recording the wearer's movements or receiving signals to move in a specific way. Applications for the technology include motion tracking in movies and animations and aiding patients with frozen gait due to Parkinson's disease, among other possibilities.