A Japanese student's fantasy has come true after he developed Virtual Reality software which feels like being tickled by an anime girl.

Masahiro Yoshimitsu built 'Tickle Mina' during the lockdown earlier this year while studying engineering in Ikoma.

The machine uses a VR headset and customised surgical gloves with sensors that pump out tiny jets of air.

Masahiro and students from his Cybernetics post-graduate class added feathers to the gloves' fingertips.

They found - after dozens of tests - that the air combined with favours creates the most pleasurable sensations.

The device is then connected to a computer where VR software featuring an attractive anime girl who tickles their bellies.

The blonde-haired avatar, named Unity-Chan, will flash on the VR headset once worn, which gives the user an impression that the cute girl is the one doing the tickling.

Footage shows Masahiro wearing the gloves and headset while tickling himself in front of a computer monitor flashing his VR view.

Masahiro said the concept of the tickling machine will help people relieve stress naturally using laughter.

The student from Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) said: "Laughter is said to reduce stress and boost immunity so this will be helpful to people's emotional health."

Tickle Mina was exhibited at the Interverse Virtual Reality Challenge (IVRC), a competition held for university students in Japan this year.

Masahiro said the innovation is a development of a robot hand invented in 2014 that can tickle users. NAIST researchers pointed out that the robot hand cannot perform precise movements like a human and has a high production cost.