Japanese startup H2L has developed an accessory so that humans can feel pain in the metaverse. That’s right, if you thought that the digital environment was going to be free of suffering, you may be wrong.
However, the goal of the startup is not only for humans to feel uncomfortable and painful sensations in the digital environment, but to be able to replicate physical sensations in the digital environment, and that also includes pleasure.
H2L has the support of Sony in the project, which is a kind of bracelet with sensors that detect the flexing of human muscles and mimic thensations of the virtual world and reproduce them externally. Thus, a person can, for example, feel the weight of the objects he is holding in the metaverse, according to information on the Financial Times website.
“Feeling pain allows us to transform the world of the metaverse into a real world, with a greater sense of presence and immersion,” says Emi Tamaki, CEO and co-founder of the Tokyo-based company.
The device is already being sold in Japan for about $80, and the big promise is that everything the avatar “touches” in the virtual world becomes sensations in the physical world. Thus, a person could, for example, pick up a ball in the virtual environment and feel its weight and the physical sensation of holding it.
“People like me, who can’t go out often because they don’t have enough muscle due to heart disease, can travel anywhere, anytime,” says Tamaki.
According to Tamaki, the goal is to “liberate humans from the limitations of space, time, and body” by 2029.
metaverse
Epic Games, the video game publisher behind the popular PC and console game Fortnite, recently announced a $2 billion funding round with which it plans to accelerate the company’s vision of making its mark on the Metaverse. The transaction, which is still subject to the usual regulatory approvals, would raise Epic’s equity valuation to $31.5 billion.
This round includes an investment of 1,000 million dollars from the already investor Sony Group Corporation and from KIRKBI, the holding company of the LEGO Group. Sony, the company behind PlayStation consoles, also invested $200 million in Epic in April 2021.
According to a statement, The three partners plan to combine know-how and technologies to influence the future of digital entertainment and gaming, developing new virtual production initiatives and digital experiences for sports and gaming fans.
Tim Sweeney, CEO and founder of Epic Games, stated that This investment will serve to “create spaces where gamers can have fun with their friends, brands can build creative and immersive experiences, and creators can build a community and thrive.”
LThe capital raising follows the announcement by Epic and the LEGO Group of partnering to make the Metaverse a “safe and fun place for kids and families”. They aim to provide children with access to “tools that allow them to become confident creators” in a positive and familiar digital space.
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