Google Patents Motorized, Omnidirectional VR Sneakers (arstechnica.com) 60
Google has patented motorized, omnidirectional virtual-reality sneakers that may solve the "limited space" problem associated with the interactive computer-generated experience. Ars Technica reports: Google's patent describes what are essentially motorized VR roller skates that will let the user walk normally while the motors and wheels work to negate your natural locomotion and keep you inside the VR safe zone. As the patent puts it, Google's new kicks will let you walk "seemingly endlessly in the virtual environment" while keeping you in one spot in real life. Google's shoe solution would track the user's feet, just like how VR controllers are tracked today. The tracking would know when you're too close to the virtual walls of your VR area, and the system would wheel you back into place.
Patents are always written to give the broadest possible coverage of an idea, but Google's patent shows normal wheels, tracks, and even omnidirectional mecanum wheels as possible wheels for the VR shoe bottoms. Omnidirectional wheels would be great, as they would allow you to do things like sidestep, while still having your position corrected by the shoes.
Patents are always written to give the broadest possible coverage of an idea, but Google's patent shows normal wheels, tracks, and even omnidirectional mecanum wheels as possible wheels for the VR shoe bottoms. Omnidirectional wheels would be great, as they would allow you to do things like sidestep, while still having your position corrected by the shoes.
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Roller Skates (Score:2)
So...they patented Roller Skates.
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Electric roller skates. That don't go anywhere. Well done goog, this one will be worth the inevitable shutdown notice!
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my hip....
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VR porn done.
Electric 'vaginers' done.
At this point it's just a quality question. 'She' just lays there...
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And it isn't going to improve very fast, because the people who know what it is supposed to do aren't even the customers.
The programmers are eating their own dogfood, but none of them are dogs, and they have no idea what it is supposed to taste like.
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Well, until they patent this https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/da... [cdc.gov] out of reality, well, sitting down will still be preferable for extended gameplay by the majority. Why skates do not work, running, jumping, fast turns, skipping, jump swivel et al. Sure you maybe might be able to alter the view but not the person keeping the balance, the slightest glitch and down they do with every right to sue the crap out of the manufacturer because staying upright would be difficult and falling down pretty regular.
To VR you
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Who cares? Go down to the park, look at all the fit people exercising, those are all potential customers.
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Roller skates on a computer
and that never leave the same spot no matter how much skating you do.
Like slipping in roller skates (Score:2)
If you don't actually move when you walk then there's no sense of acceleration. Since our ability to walk is mostly mechanical, it works by arresting a fall. That is, you fall forward then stop the fall. You can do this because you are accelerating.
if you are not accelerating there's nothing to arrest.
When you wear rollerskates and try to walk normally they slip out behind you and you fall down. it's really hard to walk normally in roller skates. Yes you can do a sort of walk motion but not a normal fr
Broad patents fall to prior art. (Score:2)
Broad patents fall to prior art, narrow patents fall to small changes. Like everything, it's about balance. That and more than one patent with a spread of specificity, at an average of 10k$ each, just to get them.
They've had powered fruit boots for decades.
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"Like everything, it's about balance."
Checking balance. Google broke my hip.
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what is most likely... WASD will still beat the boots :)
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Dear Google (Score:4, Funny)
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Inner ear (Score:5, Insightful)
>"The tracking would know when you're too close to the virtual walls of your VR area, and the system would wheel you back into place."
And your inner ear (balance and acceleration) would immediately know you were being moved without actually wanting to move and it could make you sick as a dog- just like being sea-sick. It is a neat idea, but it is far from seamless or natural. In fact, it might even amplify other contradictory signals being fed into your eyes (vision) and ears (hearing). Knowing me, I would be super sick :)
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The multidirectional treadmills exist. I know HTC has used them to show off the VIVE, and there was a kickstarter for them a while ago.
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Re:Are they on balls? (Score:5, Informative)
Even if they were like you describe, it would not address the correct problem pointed out in the GP post. Inner ear tracks acceleration, and when its tracking becomes inconsistent with what you're observing with your eyes, automated systems in your body make an assumption that you ingested some kind of psychoactive substance that is affecting your cognitive abilities and immediately act to evacuate the stomach to reduce additional substance absorption and have you lie down so it can maximize amount of resources needed to counteract the effects.
Re:Are they on balls? (Score:4, Insightful)
If the movement is gentle and smooth enough the inner ear isn't sensitive enough to notice.
People who have been on Japanese high speed trains or in some electric cars will know this. More than once I've been on the train, looked down at something and when I looked up again the station was slowly rolling past the window.
It would probably have to be combined with more aggressive acceleration for when the user starts running. The main challenge would be creating a pair of shoes that can accelerate you gently in perfect sync.
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What is the common feature in your examples, "high speed trains and some electric cars" that is absent in VR?
That's right. Window(s) to see directly outside. That is what brings inner ear and vision into agreement, and one of the more critical reasons as to why high speed trains and cars have windows even for passengers with no control over the vehicle.
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>"Fairgrounds have already perfected VR with rows of seats that move"
This is the exact opposite. In the example you provide- they are moving you AND working with your eyes to tell you that you ARE moving. In the shoes example I highlighted, they are trying to lie to you and tell you that you are NOT moving but moving you, anyway.
Interestingly, we seem to adapt more readily to the former as opposed to the latter.... probably because we are very, very used to things like movies and TV that show us moving
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There are already potential solutions to avoid this problem. [medium.com] Palmer Lucky recently tweeted he has been working on it [twitter.com] and anticipating sharing a hardware/software solution in the next year.
Story of my life (Score:2)
Great. But I don't want to walk (Score:2)
If I wanted to walk, I'd go outside. There's a big park a few blocks away. But I have no interesting in walking or running around while playing a video game, not am I in good enough shape to do so. Nobody wants this, so what's the freaking point?
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No, that's why nobody will buy it, and even for those who do it will quickly gather dust like an exercise bike. Nobody wants to be forced to exercise while they game, and anyone who does use this will be at a severe disadvantage to those who don't. And if oyu make separate networks it will be nearly deserted.
Peloton makes things work by heavily targeting cycling enthusiasts. You don't buy one to lose weight, you buy one to train for race/distance rides. There's no equivalent for video games.
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You're assuming that people using this are participating in competitive multiplayer games in VR. I certainly don't. something like this would increase immersion in a single player RPG.
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You're assuming that people using this are participating in competitive multiplayer games in VR. I certainly don't. something like this would increase immersion in a single player RPG.
Not much. The most interesting terrain in a single player RPG is frequently not a flat, level floor, making attempts to use shoes like this problematic at best. "Climbing" the hill in front of you by just walking forwards on your living room floor sounds like a great way to teach yourself how to fail walking in reality, after too much exposure. Not to mention being extremely disorienting when your vision believes you're about to bury your leg up to the knee in the terrain in front of you when actually yo
Giant Trackball... (Score:2)
I always figured a giant trackball would be ideal - something you can actually walk on, control the effort required, offer up/downhill. Could probably offer steps/textures if the ball was flexible. Put a handrail around it for safety or a harness so you can't fall off. Plug it in as a haptic-feedback mouse - should be easy.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBEfOcNTaVA&ab_channel=GadgetInspiration
They've been available for a few years, but pricey!
Michasel Jackson's prior art: (Score:2)
Moonwalking shoes!
Prior Mythbuster Art? (Score:2)
movement (Score:2)
movement is the biggest problem for (some) vr experiences.
walking is one thing, but imagine a vr game as immersive as some of the latest FPS's and i can guarantee you walking is only half of what you will be doing.
jumping, ducking, crawling, etc will all be part of it, and such these rolling shoes will only help a bit and you still need a big open space.
would be fine for 'walking simulators' and vr-museums i suppose.