As though taking a few notes from the movie theater industry, Sensory Fiction was created to introduce a new level of experience when reading novels. Instead of focusing on audio or motion, Sensory Fiction focuses on a combination of touch and temperature. Through the use of a special book that is connected to a wearable harness of sorts, sensors embedded in the latter vibrate, change pressure and temperature in line with the plot.
Designed by Felix Heibeck, Alexis Hope and Julie Legault, MIT Media Lab students, Sensory Fiction also involves the book cover changes color to signify its mood. The prototype story used is 'The Girl Who Was Plugged In’ by James Tiptree due to its incredible range of settings and emotions.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Sensory Fiction
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop new ways of enhancing the reading experience by incorporating touch, temperature, and color changes in books.
- Wearable Sensors
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore the use of wearable harnesses with embedded sensors to create immersive experiences across various industries.
- Emotional Feedback
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate sensory feedback systems to provide real-time emotional experiences in storytelling or other forms of media.
Where This Applies
- Publishing
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Revolutionize the publishing industry by incorporating sensory technologies into books to create captivating and immersive reading experiences.
- Entertainment
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Transform the entertainment industry by using wearable sensors to enhance movie-watching experiences through synchronized sensory feedback.
- Virtual Reality
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Combine virtual reality technology with sensory feedback systems to create fully immersive and emotionally engaging VR experiences.
