If Oculus Rift was the beginning of our exploration of virtual realities and spaces, ARAIG is the only logical continuation to all that.
ARAIG stands for “as real as it gets”, and that’s the most literal yet fitting name for a gadget so far: this is a suit that users can wear to enhance and change the way they experience virtual reality, especially when gaming. As of now, games are only experienced via sound and sight, but ARAIG wants to add some more. This wearable technology uses vibration, compression, sound and several other techniques to simulate the different effects in any given scene: you can feel, for example, the rain on your shoulders, an explosion in the distance or hits on your body. This multiplatform system can also combine with all other peripherals to immerse you in the game: it’s literally the closest you can get to “feel” the game without actually having to, say, get beheaded if you play Dark Souls.
ARAIG is the name for the whole set of wearable gadgets, including the Exoskeleton, a Decoder for your platform of choice, a rechargeable power cell and cord. And while there have been other attempts at a haptic suit before, what makes ARAIG different is its capacity to provide localized sound and feedback instead of being a bulky suit with a speaker – also, making sure you can still move around without constricting you because going to the bathroom every once in a while is necessary.
Readers interested in the project can now head over to Kickstarter where the ARAIG team are trying to get the suit to happen via crowdfunding. As of now, $300 USD can land you your very own suit for a product that is going to end up costing some $500 USD at launch – and from then on, the other rewards and stretch goals look quite tempting too, so be sure to read thoroughly because the team has a lot to offer.
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