Description
A fully immersive, intimate virtual reality experience for two or more people in different physical locations. You hear your partner's heartbeat with spatialized 3D sound on comfortable headphones. You feel their breath and virtual location recreated through 16 small, digitally controlled fans around your head and feet

User Scenario
You sit comfortably, eyes closed, wearing a device which senses your breathing, heartbeat and the exact tilt of your head. If you open your eyes, you can see a simple circular space displayed on a monitor, and the virtual positions of you and your partner. You only open your eyes to get initially oriented. Closing your eyes, your minds eye takes over, making the virtual space real.

Your partner is similarly equipped. They feel your presence as your breath, digitally recreated as a gentle breeze by one of 16 fans, indicating exactly where you "virtually" are. Your heartbeat is musically re-created for them as 3D sound, perceived as matching the physical location of your digital breath.

You too, intimately hear and feel exactly where your partner is, in relation to yourself. You gently tilt your head in the direction you wish to move through the virtual terrain (your head acts like a joystick). You might feel them in front, and tilt your head forward to approach, they feel you move toward them as your heart beat becomes two louder musical notes, and the breeze of your breath becomes stronger. If they turn, you feel and hear them move away, hearing their heart and feeling the location of their breath move and recede.

System
Custom hardware and software fabricated in duplicate to create system of two functional prototypes. Possibility exists for more than two simultaneous users. Microcontrollers process data from a variety of sensors for input (FSRs, dual-axis accelerometers, heart-rate monitor), haptic output precisely switched and modulated PWM to DC fans. Each identical unit can connect via serial or USB connection to a PC or Macintosh laptop with wireless Internet connection.

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