Japanese Students Waste Their Time Making Virtual Cat Whiskers

From Tech Digest:

They are, in fact, making "artificial, wearable, light-based hairs (or antennae)". The idea is that little infra-red sensors constantly scan the environment - those are your virtual antennae - with miniature vibration feedback motors placed against the skin so you're able to feel a little tingle when the sensors find an approaching object. And, after reading the article properly, it looks like they're not wasting their time at all - possible future uses include a 3D vision system for the blind, or attaching it to cars and giving drivers extra feedback when some idiot pizza delivery moped rider is about to spread himself - and 26 Cavendish Road's 16" mexican hot - all over your bonnet.

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