What Is Spider Sense Suit

Spider Sense Suit is a suit that enables its wearer to sense when a person or object is approaching, just as Spider-Man’s ‘spider-sense’ tingles whenever there’s a nearby threat.

Developed by Victor Mateevitsi, a computer science PhD student at the University of Illinois in Chicago, the suit is made up of several pocket-sized modules strapped to the wearer’s body.

Each module sends out pulses of ultrasound whose reflections are picked up by microphones. By measuring the time taken for the reflections to travel back, the device calculates the distance to the closest object.

A small robotic arm on each module then applies pressure to the wearer’s body when it senses something close, with the pressure increasing as the object gets closer. Positioning these devices all over the body can provide the wearer with a 360-degree ‘spider-sense’.

What could it be used for?

It could enable a cyclist to detect traffic behind them, or a tourist to avoid pickpockets. Visually impaired people could also ‘feel’ their way through a room, while using other types of sensor could allow the detection of threats such as radiation.