Aurasens' lounger is a haven of haptic chill amidst the chaos of CES
'Feel' the music through 32 points of vibro-haptic bliss.
Tradeshows can wear you down. Yes, CES 2018 hasn't even started, but I can always do with a little moment of chill, however fleeting. Aurasens' "visceral, trans-sensory journey" beckoned me with its offer of a little lie-down, free eye mask ("sell-out," I hear you cry) and rhythmic vibrations.
I donned the mask, put on some noise-canceling headphones and let 32 vibro-haptic points massage, shock and tingle my body from head to toe, if only for three minutes. Combining a stirring symphonic track with some staccato electro, it worked as a showcase for all the different feelings possible, tightly synchronized with musical crescendos and flourishes.
For a brief moment, I wasn't in the crush of CES -- until a bumbling but beloved colleague smacked into my foot and wrenched me out of it. I was pleasantly surprised how refined the experience was. I'd certainly try to test it out again.
The eye mask does its best to cut out any visual distraction, but it can also be substituted for a VR headset. The team behind the high-tech lounger explained that there's a second experience to be found when the CES show floor opens in earnest later this week, and it sounds like a logical extension of these fancy chairs. €20,000 ($24,055) certainly puts it out of the range of Joe Consumer, but puts it within the remit of plush airport lounges, glitzy event launches and splashy tech companies with relaxation rooms -- all of which were mentioned briefly by co-founder and CEO Olivier Zeller.
The company is already working with movie companies and other content makers to attach the Aurasens experience to forthcoming releases. The aural experience at this early stage might have been a little generic, but once it finds the perfect showcase, high-tech chill could get even better.
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