I am always fascinated by innovative design concepts that merge our virtual existence with the physical space in which we live, especially if it includes technology enhanced clothing.

A team of designer formed at the Canadian Film Centre, Interactive Arts and Entertainment Program, Kathleen Climie, Rose Bianchini and David McCallum created the ‘Neighbourhoodie’, a hoodie that combines the fun and dynamic of street games like ‘zombie tag’ with the technological experience space young people grow up today of online or computer games.

Integrated into the hoodie is a system of proximity sensors, speakers and lights to augment game play.

To start the game ‘Survival Tag’ as shown in the video clip below, players connect the iPhone / iPod touch to the ‘Neighbourhoodie’. Once the hood it put over the head the game starts and the hunt is on.

Lights, sounds in the hoodie are activated to indicate various players stages and proximity of others with the aim to ‘knock’ out, to tag opponents until one survivor is left over. Pull down and up the hood again and the next battle starts.

The Wii gaming system made a first step to get people out of the couch and become again more physical engaged while playing games. The ‘Neighbourhoodie’ has the potential to motivate us to leaving not only the couch but the house by playing hybrid games that partly happen in the real world and partly in our all important virtual world.

Along the lines of this creative design concept the is a huge inspirational space envisioning many variations of this design weaving  interactive garments and game interaction. An amazing project triggered by the combination of clothing and technology.

The gaming community is out in force (at least on the Internet) about a product that snugly fits into the Wearable Electronic space: a vest for computer game players that let them feel physically if they get hit or stabbed or if the get a punch.

The product in question is named: 3rd Space Vest, developed by TN Games and was unveiled last week at the E for All video game exposition in Los Angeles.

The technology inside the 3rd Space Vest was originally designed as a medical device by Dr. Mark Ombrellaro, a US surgeon and CEO of TN Games. Ombrellaro was working on a way to give medical exams via the Internet to prisoners, the elderly, those in rural communities and people that live in isolated regions with very limited access to medical services.

The medical version is used to poke and press patients’ bodies remotely and get feedback on what they are feeling. Being a medical device, the vest needs approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which usually is a lengthy process.

No wonder that Dr. Ombrellaro was looking for other uses of his development and came up with the 3rd Space Vest to the delightment of computer gamers.

The 3rd Space Vest uses 8 pneumatic cells embedded in the vest. The cells are designed to simulate the direction and force of bullet fire in a first-person-shooter game.

TN Games state to have patches to 3rd Space-enable Quake 3, Quake 4, Call of Duty and Doom 3. These patches will be freely downloadable from the TN Games website once the vests ship.

Next year, the company plans to ship a version of the vest that will mimic G-forces and turning pressures for flight and car games.

You can pre-order the vest at their site now, in either black or camouflage. The regular price is $189, but if you pre-order you get a $20 discount. The vests will ship November 21st, just right for the holiday season with the long days inside.

One personal remark: I am a bit surprised not seeing much earlier Wearable Electronic technologies catching on as new dimension for game accessories.

Special light effects and sound effects with some physical (rumpling) feedback on the joystick exists already but Wearable Electronic technologies would allow to sense the excitement level (some might call it stress) of the gamer and use it as additional parameter for the game.

I am by no means a gamer myself but I could imagine a whole new experience level opening up for gaming using sensors to catch the physical condition of the heros of the game and play with the emotions. Maybe this could lead to less violent games if one gets beaten up all the time