The ground-pounding fury of NHRA Championship Drag Racing is literally
about to invade your living room via the technology offered by
ButtKicker. Working in conjuction with Scott "Woody" Woodruff of Team
JEGS, technicians with the Westerville, Ohio-based company are
conducting beta tests with Jeg Coughlin Jr. this weekend at the
national event in Norwalk to advance their work in conveying a much
more realistic drag racing experience to viewers at home.
Utilizing a small motor attached to the furniture or floors in the end
user's home, ButtKicker will transfer low frequency audio through the
viewer's body to simulate the feeling of being in a racecar during a
high-speed, quarter-mile pass.
The 10-year-old company already brings concerts and numerous other
sports to their customers through their unique systems, which cost
between $350-$400 at most chain audio-visual stores, but this is their
first foray into motorsports.
"Racing is actually the most logical sport for us to bring to the
living room because there's a lot of vibration and movement involved,"
said Ken McCaw, the founder of the company who spearheads product
development. "Although nothing will ever exactly replicate that feeling
of being in the stands or down on the starting line when two cars take
off, I believe we can enhance the viewing experience quite a bit.
That's why were exploring this further with Woody and Jeg Coughlin to
see what we can do for NHRA fans."