Our interview with Benjamin Heese (CEO & co-founder of Sensit!)

I recently introduced you to the Feelbelt from Sensit! (at that time still called Feelbelt), which was able to present gaming, music and film/television to you in an even more immersive way. Now I had the opportunity to do the following interview with Benjamin Heese , the founder and CEO of Sensit! respectively.

Tobias (PS4Source): “Please put Sensit! and you shortly.”

Benjamin Heese (Sensit!):  “I'm Benjamin Heese, I have two small children that I'm really proud of, and I founded Sensit!, as it's called today, almost four years ago.
I previously worked in the banking sector, in middle management at a German commercial bank. After the birth of my first daughter, I traveled around the world with my family for a long time and discovered that money isn't everything.
Back in school, I organized Lan parties and played games that were still frowned upon back then. Today I am fortunate that I benefit greatly from the passion I had back then and understand how this market works.
Originally, our founding idea was to make music more emotional. In 2018 I happened to meet Jens, who introduced me to a new technology. I quickly thought: “Okay, great idea. Let’s start a business.” That’s how we came together. We have now been there for four years and have built a team that brings the whole thing into the world. And we don't do it too badly. We started with the Feelbelt. That was our proof of concept, with all its strengths and weaknesses. We wanted to see how people react. Is there even a need? Now we are at the point where we can license and pass on the core Haptics technology.”

Tobias (PS4Source): “That’s how the name change from Feelbelt to Sensit came about!?”

Benjamin Heese (Sensit!):  “Exactly. Since we as a company were called the same as our first product until recently, we were often reduced to the Feelbelt - but
we can do much more. And that’s what we want to communicate.
We are a haptic company that provides industrial solutions to make existing and new products tangible. Feelbelt is now part of
Sensit! . The next step is a gaming chair in cooperation with a major brand, which we will equip with haptics and license our technology.”

Tobias (PS4Source): “Our topic today is how important haptics are in video games and the Metaverse. What significance does technology have for you personally in these areas?”

Benjamin Heese (Sensit!):  “Imagine a concert: you experience it live, you hear a clear sound that you can usually even feel in your body because the bass is so intense. Now imagine that you are not experiencing the concert live, but are watching it on TV at home. Your emotions probably aren't going crazy here because you're breathing the same air as your favorite musicians. What's missing is the complete feeling of the concert. We lose that at home.
Humans have more senses than just seeing and hearing. The sense of touch plays a huge role in emotional perception.
We are firmly convinced that in order to make this digital world - and I don't even want to start with the Metaverse - real, you need to feel.
Playstation did that with the controller and developed the whole thing further, which was a smart decision in my opinion. If you think through digital experiences like games, films and music, you can no longer do without haptics — if you really want to do it well.”

Tobias (PS4Source): “What other areas of application are there in addition to the concert experience for at home? You mentioned games and movies.”

Benjamin Heese (Sensit!):  “When you wear VR glasses and move around in the virtual world, you often run into digital walls or objects. In real
life you would notice if you pushed over a vase, for example. In the VR world you only hear and see it. In the real world, you might even be able to catch the vase before it tips over and breaks because you feel like you've bumped into it. So you need some sort of trigger that tells you, “Hey, stop! There’s something in the way!”

For me personally, poker is also a good example. The game thrives on using all available senses to interpret opponents. Who is bluffing, who is telling the truth, who is nervous and who is relaxing? Just how you put your chips on the board says a lot about you and what you can play with: Do you put them down carefully or do you slam them aggressively on the table?
These are all emotions that are perceived, among other things, through feeling .
Playing poker with VR glasses is pretty cool. If you can still see the emotions on your face as you progress, you're pretty damn close to a real game of poker with friends at home.

Tobias (PS4Source):  “Since you appeal to more and more senses: Do you plan to integrate more at some point, e.g. B. with smells or lights for the eyes?”

Benjamin Heese (Sensit!):  “I think our strength actually lies in building haptics. There are other experts for smells. It makes sense to bring these together, but it makes no sense to expand our business model with it.”

Tobias (PS4Source): “The vibrations are probably very practical for people who are hearing impaired or have limited vision. Do you take that into account when developing it?”

Benjamin Heese (Sensit!):  “For example, Fortnite goes a long way when it comes to including people with certain limitations. The Feelbelt offers a
(further) solution for people with hearing impairments.
We are currently working with an NHS doctor in the UK who is working on teaching children who were born deaf to speak (more quickly). Because this is a fact that many people don't have on their radar:

Anyone who cannot hear from birth has a very difficult time learning language, as we
process and train it primarily through our hearing. There is a big difference here compared to people who were once able to hear and then lost their hearing due to an accident.
There's a lot happening with game developers in the accessibility area right now and we're happy to do our part to ensure that games are equally accessible to everyone.
At a recent inclusive concert in Potsdam, which was also accompanied by sign language, we provided feelbelts for the deaf audience to make the orchestra tangible. The feedback from viewers was amazing. Here we clearly noticed that, in addition to the increased entertainment factor, we could make a really valuable impact with our technology.”

Tobias (PS4Source): “I've already tested the Feelbelt and thought the feeling
was great. Is there any plan to develop this further and if so: what else is possible?”

Benjamin Heese (Sensit!):  “We will make the algorithm that we use to make all frequencies noticeable more sensitive. In the future, we will also use other
chips with more computing power to achieve even better resolution so that you can perceive even more frequencies at the same time.
We also constantly ask ourselves how we can manage the balancing act between high product quality and an affordable price, because we have high standards. And these entail corresponding costs. So far we have strictly avoided having production made abroad, even though that would be significantly cheaper. We still have our products manufactured in Germany today and it should stay that way.
There are competitors on the market who, for example, offer a vest. In my opinion, it makes total sense to have a product that completely covers large parts of the body. But if we were to do that, we would quickly reach a price segment that private individuals can no longer afford.
I can imagine successors to the Feelbelt with a fabric cover so that it is more comfortable to wear. Such a solution would also be more sustainable.”

Tobias (PS4Source): “A while ago I asked whether the Feelbelt
could help with sports. Then I received the answer that you are still testing it. Are there
any results yet?”

Benjamin Heese (Sensit!):  “I would say very clearly: No, you will not lose weight with the Feelbelt. Of course, you'll burn a few calories if the Feelbelt makes you feel so good while listening to music, for example, that you just HAVE to dance.
However, what haptic feedback has been proven to help with is the release of oxytocin. This is the hormone that many know as the “cuddle” or “love hormone”. When people we like hug us, we release this hormone. It comes from touch. Oxytocin makes us feel safe or simply comfortable.
People who are alone a lot usually have less oxytocin in their bodies and we can counteract this with Haptics.
Here's another tangible example: Many people find it pleasant to pet a cat. She is soft and starts to purr when she feels comfortable. This triggers a primal instinct in people and gives us a pleasant feeling. We release oxytocin.
Haptic feedback can be used to trigger happiness hormones in the body. Other happiness hormones such as endorphins or dopamine are also released during or after exercise.”

Tobias (PS4Source): “Is there an area that you focus on the most?”

Benjamin Heese (Sensit!): “Gaming is clearly the focus. Of course, we are always testing new areas of application and the numerous options offer this. We are currently examining a few cases here. However, the gaming area remains the focus.”