At SXSW, Samsung’s C-Lab — the secret projects division within Samsung that develops new products and technologies — has announced the Entrim 4D headphones, a VR accessory that delivers electric signals to your inner ear, giving you a sensation of motion.
Entrim 4D uses a combination of Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation and algorithms to deliver synchronized “electric messages to a nerve in the ear” in tune with the corresponding movements on-screen. Samsung describes the technology thusly:
Electrical signals—like the ones used to help restore balance in stroke patients—are delivered via headphones equipped with electrodes that correspond with movement data input by engineers. Users thus feel as if they are a part of the on-screen action, and can also sense direction and speed of movement.
And, when paired with the team’s Drone FPV, which utilizes data from the drone’s motion sensors, they can even feel like they are flying.
Steve Jung, the creative leader of the project, said that in addition to enabling “whole body” VR, the goal with Entrim 4D is to eliminate motion sickness by simulating movement to the visuals experienced from a VR headset. For now, the technology is still in developmental stages, with no word on when we’ll see a consumer-ready variant.
Source: Samsung