You can now 'experience death' in virtual reality with disturbing new simulation

Have you ever wondered what happens when you die? Well now you can find out, thanks to an unusual VR simulation which lets you face a 'near death experience'—people say it causes 'panic'

Ciarán Daly Technology reporter

13:41, 27 Mar 2023Updated 13:41, 27 Mar 2023

Have you ever wondered what happens when you die? Well now you can find out, thanks to an unusual VR simulation which lets you face a 'near death experience'—people say it causes 'panic'

A new virtual reality experience lets you see what dying might be like(Image: Sean Fennessy)

Despite all the things science tells us about life, nobody really knows what it's like to experience death.

However, people who have undergone near-death experiences often come back with tales of what happened after their hearts stopped—from leaving their bodies and seeing themselves from above to waking up in a meadow.

‌

Now a new virtual reality simulation tries to give people a taste of what it's like to die.

‌

Artist Shaun Gladwell has created an exhibit called 'Passing Electrical Storms' which 'guides participants through a simulated de-escalation of life, from cardiac arrest to brain death'.

Content cannot be displayed without consent

Article continues below

You're asked to lie down on a fake hospital bed and hooked up to a heart rate monitor. Apparently the simulation can be so unsettling that there are staff on hand to 'pull you out' if it gets too uncomfortable.

Marcus Crook, a Melbourne local who also has an exhibit at the festival, explained what the VR death experience is really like.

In a TikTok video, he said: "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.

‌

The experience uses XR (extended reality) tech to simulate death (Stock image)(Image: Getty Images)

Marcus continued: "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."

Just as nobody can really know what it's like to die, nobody can really know what the VR experience is like—unless you're in Australia and able to try it out in person.

Article continues below

That's because it's part of Melbourne Now, a huge culture festival in the Australian city which features more than 200 artists. It runs from now until August.

READ MORE: