A new virtual reality simulation that allows users to 'experience death' on a vibrating bed has been met with scepticism as it launches at a festival in Australia. The creation even involves doctors attempting to 'revive' users from the phenomenon, which people who have experienced in reality claim has changed their lives and the way they view the world.
Artist Shaun Gladwell is the brains behind the exhibit, which 'guides participants through a simulated de-escalation of life, from cardiac arrest to brain death', reports the Daily Star. Participants are required to lie down on a pretend hospital bed and are hooked up to a heart rate monitor. The simulation can be so unsettling, however, that members of staff on hand to 'pull you out' if it gets too uncomfortable.
Fellow creator Marcus Crook, who showcased his own product at Melbourne Now festival, explained what the 'death' experience is really like. In a TikTok video, he revealed: "I can see how people would say it causes anxiety and panic. It definitely borderlines that—they do put your finger on a heart rate monitor and then tell you to raise your hand if you've had enough and want to quit.
"What happens is you're laying down, the bed vibrates, you flatline. The doctors come over the top of you. You can see yourself in the goggles and they try to revive you—it doesn't work. Then you float up out past them into space and it keeps going."
In another post on the social media platform , it pans around a dark room with several people lying still on beds that are lit up by an eerily blue light. Marcus said: "It's actually pretty hectic. Doctors trying to revive you, vibrating bed and floating into space."
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One concerned follower commented, however: "That's got to be really bad for your psyche? I feel like the brain would panic?" And another added: "The way my anxiety and paranoia is set up... I would have to pass."
Melbourne now is a culture festival featuring the work of more than 200 artists. It runs from 24 March to 20 August.
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