---
title: "Disney Made A VR Jacket That Can Simulate Hugs, Snakes Crawling On Your Back"
description: "Is Disney's \"Force Jacket\" more than just 26 airbags glued to the inside of a life vest? It's hard to tell from here."
date: "2018-04-27"
modified: "2018-04-27"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/disney-vr-jacket-simulate-hug-snakes"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
  - "Virtual Reality"
tags:
  - "disney"
  - "multi-sensory"
  - "virtual reality"
---

# Disney Made A VR Jacket That Can Simulate Hugs, Snakes Crawling On Your Back

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/creepy-jacket.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/disneyresearch/wp-content/uploads/20180424165727/Force-Jacket-Pneumatically-Actuated-Jacket-for-Embodied-Haptic-Experiences-Paper.pdf" target="\_blank"\>Disney Research / MIT / Carnegie Mellon University / Victor Tangermann\</a\>\</em\>*

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be punched in VR? Me neither.

Well, you may get your chance anyway. Because Disney — the company behind your favorite childhood movies like *The Lion King* and *Tarzan —* has teamed up with MIT Media Lab and Carnegie Melon to make this a real thing.

By hooking up 26 independent airbags inside a modified life vest, the team created what [they call the "Force Jacket"](<https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/disneyresearch/wp-content/uploads/20180424165727/Force-Jacket-Pneumatically-Actuated-Jacket-for-Embodied-Haptic-Experiences-Paper.pdf>) — a jacket that can simulate perceptions of a "snake moving across the body" or a "hug." We couldn't make this up if we tried.

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/airbag2-e1524848001461-1200x756.png>)

Each airbag can quickly inflate or deflate, creating haptic feedback sensations across the torso of the wearer. [According to the paper](<https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/disneyresearch/wp-content/uploads/20180424165727/Force-Jacket-Pneumatically-Actuated-Jacket-for-Embodied-Haptic-Experiences-Paper.pdf>), there are seven different levels of pressure that range from "gentle hug" to "punch to the gut." The goal is to produce effects that deviate from the usual "buzz" of a vibration motor, and create sensations like "quakes" or "beats."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=5BOFHEow608

As a result, the Force Jacket can simulate the gentle tapping of raindrops, or a heartbeat sensation by actuating the airbag near the chest. The team even goes as far as differentiating between "adult" and "child" hugs (or "Enclosure," to use their terminology). How *lovely!*

There have already been countless attempts at trying to make virtual reality feel even *more* real by simulating sometimes delicate physical sensations. There's the [Sense Glove](<https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/sense-glove-virtual-reality-touch-device/>) that makes it feel like you're holding a physical object, and even [entire tactile suits](<https://qz.com/779931/skinterfaces-new-high-tech-suit-lets-you-feel-things-in-virtual-reality/>) that let you "feel" subtle sensations via vibrations. But as far as we can tell, this is the first time that airbags — not electrodes or vibration motors — have been implemented for the purpose.

But VR headsets are still not exactly mainstream, in part because they are still too expensive (and with limited utility) for many. So it might be a while before sensory VR accessories hit the shelves. Disney's Force Jacket is far more likely to turn up at one of their theme parks or in a theater first.

But can something like the Force Jacket ever take off? Honestly it's a little strange. I really prefer to only have my arm squeezed by a bag of air when medically necessary, like having my blood pressure taken. Besides, a *real hug* is gonna feel better than one from a weird air-filled vest approximately 100 percent of the time. Will it improve on gimmicky "4D" cinematic experiences at Disney World? I don't see why it wouldn't.

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)