With Sony testing VR goggles and augmented reality technology improving at an ever-increasing rate, the world is forever finding new ways to tap into our senses and improve the virtual reality experience. Interactive clothing was therefore somewhat inevitable, and has now started to appear with the help of a certain Johnny-5 like camera sensor: Microsoft's Xbox Kinect.

Designers from the University of Aachen, Germany, have created a tactile feedback suit that vibrates at eight places on the body - the wrists, forearms, shoulders, abdomen and torso. Using Windows PCs and an Xbox Kinect, the team were then able to get the suit to respond to virtual objects, enriching the sensory experience.

Materials used to build the suit cost just €300, so there is certainly scope for commercial availability. Don't go expecting any Gunmen of the Apocalypse adventures any time too soon, though. ®