A New Way to Move in Virtual Reality
If you ever wanted to walk around in virtual reality like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, now you can. A company called Ekto VR has created what it calls moonwalking boots that are designed to allow people to travel safely through a virtual environment.
This omni-directional treadmill has great ergonomics for your body and the mechanical structure is said to feel almost weightless. It can also do a lot of different movements, including walking, running and even sprinting.
Walking in Virtual Reality
There are many ways to move in VR, but navigating the environment without triggering motion sickness remains challenging. Several different locomotion techniques have been developed, but most require a large physical space [35] or are difficult to use in room-scale VR experiences because of their requirement for a tracking system or the need for users to physically turn and reorient themselves [36].
The goal of this study is to explore the viability of using virtual reality (VR) as a tool for assessing environmental factors vr walker that influence walking behavior. In particular, it will be evaluated whether VR can provide a means to pre-test urban designs and their effect on walking behaviors.
To achieve this goal, the study will test the viability of an immersive walk simulator that uses eye-tracking to capture a user’s saccade movements in a headset. Those movement are then used to guide the users’ real-time movement in a virtual space. This approach can be used to simulate a wide range of different environments, including walking along a path that would typically be too steep or slippery for humans to safely traverse.
Previous studies have shown that people will follow visual directional prompts in a virtual environment that do not match real-world constraints, even if those prompts are not perceived as safe. However, there are some limitations to this type of research, particularly in the case of urban design and pedagogical applications.
Ekto VR’s Moonwalking Boots
A Pittsburgh startup called Ekto VR thinks it has solved one of the most frustrating issues with virtual reality: moving around. It has created a pair of chunky cyberpunk-looking boots that allow users to walk in VR while keeping them stable.
The robot shoes use a system of rotating plates to track your movements and replicate them in the virtual world. They are also fitted with a motor that spins them in the opposite direction as your foot moves to simulate walking forward but keep you firmly planted in place on the spot. Brakes are used when you stand still to prevent you from slipping over like a skateboard.
Ekto VR’s founder, Brad Factor, says the shoes are designed to make virtual reality more realistic by vr walker making it easier to move and avoiding the nausea that can come with the motion of walking in the real world. He hopes that by integrating the robot shoes with headsets that will eventually feature a high-speed connection to the cloud, people can experience the world of VR as if they were truly there.
The boots are currently available for enterprises, and the company is working on a consumer version for two to four years down the road. The demo video below shows how the system works, but it looks like it could be difficult to run in them—or even crouch or kneel for combat scenes.
CyberWalker
Despite their immense size, Cyberwalkers move quickly and are almost impervious to attack. Their massive legs allow them to casually stroll over low obstacles, while climbing claws and fusion jets make them excellent climbers. The Cyberwalkers’ reloadable missile launchers (similar to those on the more conventional Missile Tank) provide them with a decent chance to survive any assault.
While the Cyberwalkers’ great bulk makes them slow and immobile on land, their nimble legs allow them to function well in broken or mountainous terrain. They are also more able to take advantage of terrain features than Ogres and other armor units. However, a lack of maintenance and the difficulty of finding technicians with the know-how to fix them left many of them broken and unusable by the end of the Last War.
Like other vehicles in the Ogre universe, Cyberwalkers are equipped with Leg Units, which function much like an Ogre’s Tread Units. A Cyberwalker’s Leg Units are used to determine the number of attacks it can perform per turn, as well as how much damage each attack does.
As a result, if all of its Leg Units are destroyed, the Cyberwalker is a wreck and is considered to be crashed, taking one 1-1 attack to each system. The Cyberwalker’s weapons continue to fire normally, though.
The Next Big Thing
The vr walker is one of the newest and most exciting innovations in virtual reality. It reorients the VR world imperceptibly by turning a uni-directional treadmill into an omnidirectional device. Its design allows users to move in all directions while remaining stable and safe.
Unlike a conventional treadmill, which requires a large area to operate safely, the vr walker is small enough to fit in your home and is safe for users of all ages. The device is also comfortable to wear and provides a more realistic experience than a traditional VR headset.
It works with your favorite SteamVR and PSVR (additional adapter required) games to add walking motion to any scene in virtual reality. Simply connect it to your computer and launch the game, then start moving! With a variety of gameplay options available, you can walk, run, crouch, and jump.
This technology has the potential to revolutionize the gaming industry. It allows players to move naturally in VR while providing an immersive experience for gamers and non-gamers alike. However, there are some limitations to this technology, including the high price of the product and the need for special shoes.
