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You know the power of a great book. It transports you， taking you into another place and time. But if well-written prose[散文] and the power of your imagination aren’t enough， a few clever engineers at MIT have come up with a wearable[可穿戴的] vest[背心] that hooks up to an e-book to enhance[加强] your reading experience even more.
“The ‘augmented’[增强的] book portrays[描绘] the scenery and sets the mood， and the wearable allows the reader to experience the protagonist’s[主角] physiological[生理的] emotions，” write Felix Heibeck， Alexis Hope and Julie Legault， the creators of the Sensory Fiction wearable book.
By combining networked sensors[传感器] and actuators[制动器]， the wearable can change lighting， sound， temperature， chest tightness and even the heart rate of the reader to match what the main character in the book is going through.
“Changes in the protagonist’s emotional or physical state trigger[触发] discrete[不连续的] feedback[反馈] in the wearable， whether by changing the heartbeat rate， creating constriction[紧缩感] through air pressure bags， or causing localized temperature fluctuations[波动]，” the designers explain.
The engineers tested out their device[装置] with The Girl Who Was Plugged In[插上插头] by James Tiptree. In the story， the protagonist swings[摆动] from deep love to ultimate[极限的] despair[绝望] and experiences both Barcelona sunshine and the captivity[囚禁] of a dark， damp cellar.
“You feel this story in your gut[内脏]—it is an amazing example of the power of fiction to make us feel and empathize[移情] with the protagonist，” Hope says. “Because our imaginations and emotions were so strongly moved by this story， we wondered how we could heighten that experience.”
The prototype[模范] does work， but it won’t be manufactured[制造] anytime soon. The creation was only “meant to provoke[引起] discussion，” Hope says. It was put together as part of a class in which designers read science fiction and make functional prototypes to explore the ideas in the books.
“As designers and researchers， we like to think that we contribute to[有助于] the future and therefore have the obligation[义务] to consider those science fiction scenarios[情节]， both in positive[积极的] and negative[消极的] ways，” Legault says.
If it ever does become more widely available， sensory fiction could have an unintended[非故意的] consequence[后果]. When I shared this idea with NPR editor Ellen McDonnell， she quipped[讽刺]，“If these device things are helping ‘put you there，’ it just means the writing won’t have to be as good.”
你也知道一本好书的力量（有多大）。它能移形换位，将你带到另一个时空。不过，假如一篇好文章加上你的想象力还不够使的话，美国麻省理工学院（MIT）有几位聪明的工程师设计了一款连接电子书的可穿戴背心，可以进一步提升你的阅读体验。
“这种‘加强版’读本描绘出场景，设定好气氛，可穿戴设备便能让读者切身体会到主人公在生理上的情绪表现，”“感官小说”可穿戴读本的设计者们——费力克斯·海贝克、亚丽克西斯·霍普以及朱莉·勒哥尔特如此写道。
结合网状的感应器和制动器，该可穿戴设备可以调整光照、声音、温度、胸部松紧度，乃至读者的心率，从而呼应书中主角此刻的经历。
“主人公的情绪或者生理状态的变化会在可穿戴设备上引发各种独立的反应，可以是改变心率、通过空气压缩袋制造压迫感，又或是在局部产生温度变化，”设计者们解释道。
工程师们用詹姆斯·提普奇的《被插上插头的女孩》对该设备进行测试。在书中，主人公从深深的爱意转变为无尽的绝望，她既感受过巴塞罗那的阳光，也体验过地下室的黑暗潮湿。
“你觉得这故事真说到你心坎里去了——这是一个很棒的例子，说明小说的魅力能让我们对主角（的处境）感同身受，”霍普说。“由于这个故事让人如此浮想联翩、情绪高涨，我们不禁想让这种阅读体验更上一层楼。”
这个模拟设备确实有用，但短期内不会投入生产。该项设计只是“为了引发讨论，”霍普说。其组装其实是一个课程的部分内容——工程师们在课上阅读科幻小说，制作实际可用的模拟设备，进而探讨小说理念。
“作为设计师以及研究人员，我们总认为自己对未来（社会）有一定贡献。因此，我们更应该对科幻小说的情节进行深思，既要思考其积极性，也要考虑到消极的方面，”勒哥尔特说道。
如果真能投入更为广泛的应用，这种“感官小说”可能会导致一个意外后果。当我与美国国家公共电台（NPR）编辑埃伦·麦克唐奈探讨这个点子时，她讽刺说：“如果这种设备有助于‘让你身临其境’，也就是说文字本身不必写得那么精彩了。”
“The ‘augmented’[增强的] book portrays[描绘] the scenery and sets the mood， and the wearable allows the reader to experience the protagonist’s[主角] physiological[生理的] emotions，” write Felix Heibeck， Alexis Hope and Julie Legault， the creators of the Sensory Fiction wearable book.
By combining networked sensors[传感器] and actuators[制动器]， the wearable can change lighting， sound， temperature， chest tightness and even the heart rate of the reader to match what the main character in the book is going through.
“Changes in the protagonist’s emotional or physical state trigger[触发] discrete[不连续的] feedback[反馈] in the wearable， whether by changing the heartbeat rate， creating constriction[紧缩感] through air pressure bags， or causing localized temperature fluctuations[波动]，” the designers explain.
The engineers tested out their device[装置] with The Girl Who Was Plugged In[插上插头] by James Tiptree. In the story， the protagonist swings[摆动] from deep love to ultimate[极限的] despair[绝望] and experiences both Barcelona sunshine and the captivity[囚禁] of a dark， damp cellar.
“You feel this story in your gut[内脏]—it is an amazing example of the power of fiction to make us feel and empathize[移情] with the protagonist，” Hope says. “Because our imaginations and emotions were so strongly moved by this story， we wondered how we could heighten that experience.”
The prototype[模范] does work， but it won’t be manufactured[制造] anytime soon. The creation was only “meant to provoke[引起] discussion，” Hope says. It was put together as part of a class in which designers read science fiction and make functional prototypes to explore the ideas in the books.
“As designers and researchers， we like to think that we contribute to[有助于] the future and therefore have the obligation[义务] to consider those science fiction scenarios[情节]， both in positive[积极的] and negative[消极的] ways，” Legault says.
If it ever does become more widely available， sensory fiction could have an unintended[非故意的] consequence[后果]. When I shared this idea with NPR editor Ellen McDonnell， she quipped[讽刺]，“If these device things are helping ‘put you there，’ it just means the writing won’t have to be as good.”
你也知道一本好书的力量（有多大）。它能移形换位，将你带到另一个时空。不过，假如一篇好文章加上你的想象力还不够使的话，美国麻省理工学院（MIT）有几位聪明的工程师设计了一款连接电子书的可穿戴背心，可以进一步提升你的阅读体验。
“这种‘加强版’读本描绘出场景，设定好气氛，可穿戴设备便能让读者切身体会到主人公在生理上的情绪表现，”“感官小说”可穿戴读本的设计者们——费力克斯·海贝克、亚丽克西斯·霍普以及朱莉·勒哥尔特如此写道。
结合网状的感应器和制动器，该可穿戴设备可以调整光照、声音、温度、胸部松紧度，乃至读者的心率，从而呼应书中主角此刻的经历。
“主人公的情绪或者生理状态的变化会在可穿戴设备上引发各种独立的反应，可以是改变心率、通过空气压缩袋制造压迫感，又或是在局部产生温度变化，”设计者们解释道。
工程师们用詹姆斯·提普奇的《被插上插头的女孩》对该设备进行测试。在书中，主人公从深深的爱意转变为无尽的绝望，她既感受过巴塞罗那的阳光，也体验过地下室的黑暗潮湿。
“你觉得这故事真说到你心坎里去了——这是一个很棒的例子，说明小说的魅力能让我们对主角（的处境）感同身受，”霍普说。“由于这个故事让人如此浮想联翩、情绪高涨，我们不禁想让这种阅读体验更上一层楼。”
这个模拟设备确实有用，但短期内不会投入生产。该项设计只是“为了引发讨论，”霍普说。其组装其实是一个课程的部分内容——工程师们在课上阅读科幻小说，制作实际可用的模拟设备，进而探讨小说理念。
“作为设计师以及研究人员，我们总认为自己对未来（社会）有一定贡献。因此，我们更应该对科幻小说的情节进行深思，既要思考其积极性，也要考虑到消极的方面，”勒哥尔特说道。
如果真能投入更为广泛的应用，这种“感官小说”可能会导致一个意外后果。当我与美国国家公共电台（NPR）编辑埃伦·麦克唐奈探讨这个点子时，她讽刺说：“如果这种设备有助于‘让你身临其境’，也就是说文字本身不必写得那么精彩了。”