Pioneering virtual reality (VR) technology developed in Bristol is being showcased at an ‘experience centre’ in the city’s Cabot Circus shopping centre – the first time it has been demonstrated outside the US.
Bristol-based Ultrahaptics, the world leader in mid-air touch technology, has teamed up with Lancashire-based independent game developer Fallen Planet Studios for the installation staged by at ImmotionVR, the UK’s largest group of VR experience centres. 
ImmotionVR said the experience demonstrated a “new level of immersive entertainment” by bringing haptic feedback to the horror genre in a specially adapted version of Fallen Planet Studio’s hit VR game AFFECTED: The Manor.
Users enter a virtual haunted house and experience surprising events that have been augmented with mid-air haptic sensations. The experience has been previously shown at trade shows in the US such as the IAAPA Attractions Expo and CES, but this is the first time the UK public has been able to experience it first-hand.
The experience uses content, capabilities and technology owned and developed by the three firms.
Ultrahaptics CTO and co-founder Tom Carter said: “Audiences have really loved AFFECTED: The Visit, but we have only been able to share it with the US so far. This collaboration provides an opportunity to showcase UK companies and what they have to offer the growing virtual reality market. We can’t wait to share it with our home audience.”
Fallen Planet Studios CEO Alex Moretti added: “Immersion is key to the VR experiences that Fallen Planet Studios creates, by implementing Ultrahaptics’ mid-air technology we are able to deepen that level of immersion to new levels, without saddling the user with additional hardware for them to navigate.
“This combines to create a compelling out-of-home experience that really has to be felt to be believed. To be unveiling this installation in partnership with the ImmotionVR brand, is a testament to the quality of their arcades and highlights the UK’s fast-growing interest in location-based VR.”
