A new virtual reality simulation is giving people a taste of what it is 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'.
In the experience, you are asked to lie down on a fake hospital bed and then you are hooked up to a heart rate monitor. The simulation can be so unsettling that there are staff on hand to 'pull you out' if it gets too uncomfortable, reports The Star.
Marcus Crook, who tried the experience, 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.
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."
The VR experience is currently part of Melbourne Now, a culture festival in the Australian city which features more than 200 artists.
