Ground Immersion System by PlasmaQuark
This is not my project, but I saw it posted on Reddit and felt it warranted a discussion here.
Link to Reddit Post
Demo with Hawken
This seems like the next evolutionary step past the Wii Balance Board. Simulating a rumble in the feet for footsteps is an interesting concept as well! With some refinement, I think it could be a good solution for seated or standing. Here were some of my suggestions:
We also talked a bit about using it while standing. He thought maybe a high chair/saddle might do the trick. My suggestion (which is probably more complicated than it should be):
Anyway, I'll link the guy to this thread and see if he can explain his project a bit more. I just didn't want it to get buried on Reddit because I felt it warranted a longer discussion!
Link to Reddit Post
Demo with Hawken
This seems like the next evolutionary step past the Wii Balance Board. Simulating a rumble in the feet for footsteps is an interesting concept as well! With some refinement, I think it could be a good solution for seated or standing. Here were some of my suggestions:
"Me" wrote:
Have you given thought about how to use this for rotation? I assume currently you still have to use an analog stick to rotate. If you can solve that, then you've eliminated the need for a stick altogether. My suggestion is if you push only one foot back, you rotate in that direction. Ideally it would work best if you push one foot back and the other forward, but your current design doesn't allow for it.
You're smart to focus on a seated experience, and you should nail that down first. Have you given thought, however, as to how this could work in a standing position? FPS's are more immersive when standing, and since your device is geared towards a first person walking experience, it might be worth looking into.
Again, you're smart to design this as a "tank mode" at the moment. It will keep the user facing towards the positional tracking. I imagine Oculus will one day focus on 360 degree gaming, and this type of system would be interesting to see with 360 degrees in mind. I've always thought of a larger board where you basically step/lean in the direction you want to move while rotation would simply be controlled by which way you're facing at the time (so cardinal directions would be tied together, essentially). Again, just food for thought!
We also talked a bit about using it while standing. He thought maybe a high chair/saddle might do the trick. My suggestion (which is probably more complicated than it should be):
"Me" wrote:
As for standing, you're right that the height is the most important aspect, and so a high stool or saddle could work with this device and prevent having to come up with a whole harness system.
This actually gives me an idea for 360 degrees of movement down the road. If you were able to implement rotation into the feet, performing the rotation combo (like the left back, right forward suggestion) would actually mechanically rotate the high chair so that you would actually be rotating. Rotation in game would simply be accomplished by tracking the Rift as you rotate in RL. Having a mechanically rotating chair would probably be tricky, and speed would probably be an issue, but it does solve a few problems at the same time. Crouching and jumping would need to be looked at, but honestly, no one is really going to want to physically crouch and jump. I don't have the back for that kinda stuff!
Anyway, I'll link the guy to this thread and see if he can explain his project a bit more. I just didn't want it to get buried on Reddit because I felt it warranted a longer discussion!