VR team presents infinite walking in virtual environments. - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Eltro102;40255368]now we just need an omnidirectional treadmill[/QUOTE] We already do. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQR49JGySTM[/media] and theres also using a giant human sized hamster ball [editline]12th April 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Lol-Nade;40255887]already exists [video=youtube;eg8Bh5iI2WY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg8Bh5iI2WY[/video] skip to about 10:00 to see it in action[/QUOTE] Here's the video of its construction

okay this is really bothering me, why does the video in the source have the vimeo player but a watch on youtube button

[QUOTE=KorJax;40255684]The only thing this is useful for is proving a way for someone to get into a room as a kind of fun gimmick. You can't honestly say this is going to invalidate the need for "treadmills" or anything else like that, as all it does it randomly generate hall ways to always lead you back to where you were before, so you don't accidently walk outside of the real world space you are in. AKA a technique of VR that is literally ONLY useful in that [I]exact[/I] situation, a situation that is extremely limiting and frankly, uncanny. It's neat, but nothing more than a neat project or an inspiration for something in the future rather than something that'll ever actually be useful. Personally I've always thought that the future of VR lies in our ability to actually produce signals in our brain along side the VR head mounted display. I.E. jumping in a VR game feeling weird? Well, just activate the part of our inner-ear/brain that responds to jumping in real life so we still get the same experience of jumping mentally without having to jump! It's already somewhat possible AFAIK, I think I remember seeing articles of devices that manipulate the individual's inner-ear to make them feel like they are falling when they aren't (done in Japan, I think). Expand that to include everything, from the slight feelings of motion you get while walking to the feelings of falling, etc and you could make someone feel like they are in VR without actually having to make the person do those actions in the real world. Ideally you'd still want to be standing though, and be in a space where you can freely turn around, move, and somehow signal forward walking motion without having to actually walk. Or we could just do what we all do for video games and train our brains to think "W = walk forward" along with brain trickery to make it actually feel like that as well.[/QUOTE] you mean our equilibrium? or something to that effect.

This is something I want so badly. Couple this with the OR, and a motion enabled gun or something. You could be a space marine in a video game and actually feel like it.

Ive always imagined some sort of exoskeleton design where it limits your movement. Say if you came to a wall and tried putting your arm out but youre too close to the wall to fully extend it, and only are able to say extend it to 90 degrees. Well the exoskeleton would limit your arm from actually being able to move further than the 90 degrees and make it actually seem like youre hitting a wall with your arm.

[QUOTE=Shirky;40257976]Ive always imagined some sort of exoskeleton design where it limits your movement. Say if you came to a wall and tried putting your arm out but youre too close to the wall to fully extend it, and only are able to say extend it to 90 degrees. Well the exoskeleton would limit your arm from actually being able to move further than the 90 degrees and make it actually seem like youre hitting a wall with your arm.[/QUOTE] That's grand and all until it breaks and your end up stuck in an uncomfortable position until they manage to pry you out of it.

[QUOTE=Bradyns;40255390]This means that we don't [B][I]need[/I][/B] treadmills.. We can just use a regular defined space, and just write a program such that movements are accounted for digitally.[/QUOTE] This wouldn't work for anything but games that procedurally generate worlds. This generates a map that keeps the player within the room. Omnidirectional treadmills allow the player to walk anywhere.

if the holodeck existed in real life with this generation the god damn place would need a cum mopper, let's be honest

I thought that this sort of technique has been around for at least a few years.

This technique will certainly have it's uses, but it won't by any means replace an omnidirectional treadmill. It'll be great for games where a persistent world isn't necessary; maybe we'll see a wave of literal VR corridor shooters. I'm still waiting out for the consumer-level hamster balls or whatever.

Every development, no matter how specific, contributes to the whole of the field. I'm quite excited.