China showcases remote hugging vest

Ever wished you could hug someone in another country (or in another room if you’re lazy)? Chinese inventors have you covered. The 2024 Inclusion Conference on the Bund opened in Shanghai on Thursday, and among the exhibits is a pair of vests that allow users to hug each other from afar. Small air compartments inside the vests expand and contract as needed, which produce the feeling of either hugging or being hugged for the wearer. Visitors were keen to try the vests out, although getting into them may require some fine tuning, as they currently resemble complicated pirate corsets.

‘The vests are equipped with artificial muscles and a pressure sensing system. As soon as you put on the device and hug the model, you can feel the same strength back,’ explained a staff member at the expo. ‘The vests can realize mental comfort and allow relatives to embrace each other from a distance.’

And yes, you can probably pair them up with a waifu body pillow at some point in the future, before you ask.