Have you ever gone to a hypermarket like Tesco or Carrefour, only to realize that the place is so darn vast, that it can be difficult to locate your can of baked beans – especially if this is the first time you paid a visit to such a huge place instead of your regular grocery store down the street? Researchers over at the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology can certainly identify with such a feeling, hence coming up with a pair of conceptual vibrating gloves that will help direct you to the specific item you’re looking for.
This prototype glove relies on vibration feedback as it guides you towards a predetermined target. Your hand will inadvertently be steered towards the object, where it operates on a “hot/cold” principle – the closer you are to the object and in the right direction, the more it will vibrate, and vice versa when you are further away from the object you’re looking for. Of course, this can also be used in other situations such as when you are looking for your car in a vast parking lot, or even tracking down a book of your choice. So far, initial tests seem promising. I am quite sure that wearing this will also help you find those droids you were looking for…
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