Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp., Japans top telephone company, says it is developing the technology to perhaps make video games more realistic. But more sinister applications also come to mind. A special headset is placed on the cranium by my hosts during a recent. It sends a very low voltage electric current from the back of the ears through the head — either from left to right or right to left, depending on which way the joystick on a remote-control was moved. The technology is called galvanic vestibular stimulation — essentially, electricity messes with the delicate nerves inside the ear that help maintain balance. The phenomenon is painless but dramatic. Your feet start to move before you know it.

Some people really enjoy the experience, researchers said while acknowledging that others feel uncomfortable.
James Collins, professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University, has studied using the technology to prevent the elderly from falling and to help people with an impaired sense of balance. But he also believes the effect is suited for games and other entertainment.
Via – Mainichi