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Walking In A VR Future

Posted by timothy on from the see-the-lovely-veldt dept.

neol'schmoe writes "There's a new solution to the age old problem of physical movement within a virtual world. Researchers in Japan have come up with tiles that move in concert with a user's pace and motion to allow free range of motion while literally walking in a virtual environment and never leaving a very small area in the real world."

5 of 371 comments (clear)

  1. Holodeck coming soon? by stratjakt · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Is it?

    Those japanese are always inventing stuff like this. I guess they got no square footage.

    My American answer is to put your VR goggles on in the middle of one of our spacious fields or parks, and just run around all you want.

    Drop someone in the middle of the desert with his LCD goggles and mo-cap mittens and he can VR his brains out.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  2. What about the nausea problem? by Jaywalk · · Score: 5, Interesting
    There's a new solution to the age old problem of physical movement within a virtual world.
    IIRC it's not exactly new, Star Trek uses something like it to explain holodeck movement, although there's the usual handwaving about "force fields" instead of moving tiles. But the real issue is going to be nausea. The problem occurs both in VR situations and in more prosaic settings like motion sickness. If what your eyes tell you (you're moving) is out of sync with what your inner ear tells you (you're not moving) a lot of people get nauseous and toss their cookies. That's why folks who get car sick are okay if they keep looking out the window; their eyes tell them that they're moving, so it's in sync with their inner ear.

    Could definitely be a downer if you're the next in line for that arcade game.

    --
    ===== Murphy's Law is recursive. =====
    1. Re:What about the nausea problem? by stratjakt · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Do people get motion sick on treadmills?

      Yes, they do. If you go to the gym long enough, you'll see someone get dizzy or nausious and fall right off 'em.

      They even have lil warning labels advising people with inner ear problems to stay off.

      I wouldn't expect the average slashdotter has seen a treadmill in actual use.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  3. ... oh, wow ... by ninjagin · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I've been waiting for something like this for years. VR games and VR/VRML worlds have needed this like crazy for the longest time.

    I can already think of improvements:

    1. Scale up the 4-tile model for walking, and have a 12-tile model for running.

    2. Force-feedback tiles for seismic or moving-walkway effectts.

    3. cushiony lifting-tiles to simulate low-g walks/runs/jumps.

    Of course, can you imagine the liability issues for a manufacturer of such a product?

    Very neat. I can't wait to have one. When they have it work with Unreal Tournament, I'll be sold.

    --
    .. pa-ra-bo-la, pa-ra-bo-la, 2 pi R, 2 pi R, where's your latus rectum, where's your latus rectum, 2 pi R
  4. Bradbury fans all agree... by loteck · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Just think, one day you can install a room in your super-computer-enabled house that will allow your children to imagine virtual adventures that they can play out, without ever leaving the house!

    Would be a parent's dream!

    Just hope your kids like you and don't enjoy the company of ravenous lions! :D