ThermoReal Will Let Users Feel Hot Or Cold In Virtual Reality

The thing with virtual reality is that while it is an immersive experience, there are certain things that the technology can’t let the user experience. For example while you could be immersed in a virtual reality, you can’t smell the food. Or if there is rain in the game, you won’t get wet in real-life, but that’s something a company by the name of TEGway is trying to change.

In a hands-on demo by Richard Lai of Engadget, the company (which is a spin-off of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) has created a gadget called the ThermoReal that when held, will let users experience hot or cold while immersed in virtual reality. The device (pictured above) can even produce both heat and cold on different areas of the same device at the same time, which apparently can replicate what a pinch feels like.

According to Lai, the demo was apparently pretty impressive, where one demo saw a man dip himself in icy water, in which the ThermoReal got cold, and got colder the deeper into the water the man got. Another demo involved waving a hand over a candle, in which the ThermoReal got hot as you might imagine.

As impressive as it is, it does feel a bit novel and whether or not manufacturers and developers will see the need to adopt ThermoReal into their games or applications remains to be seen.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Gadgets, Gaming
Tags: Virtual Reality (VR)