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Up and Coming
May 25, 2013

Viiwok - Virtual treadmill & reality simulator.

Hi all, I'm a young systems engineer from Spain with a passion for architecture, topography, surveilling, photogrammetry and gaming.

In about 2 weeks I'll be launching an IndieGogo campaign (I'm european so I can't submit projects for KickStarter) for a similar product, a treadmill simulator that would have the added advantage that all the sensors would be built in (walking, turning, jumping, crouching) at 120 Hz response frequency (basically zero latency/lag, the same you have from using a keyboard/mouse combo).

You wouldn't need a Kinect or a Hydra at an added cost and you wouldn't need to wear those Virtuix special shoes to be able to slide, like in the Virtuix or the cvasi-walk like with the WizDish. You'd be able to crouch properly, instead of bending. You'd be able to sit down when you get tired after all that moving around.

The system is natively compatible with any platform - Windows, Mac OSX and Linux are supported out of the box, no special drivers needed, you plug it in and it's set to go. And most of all, the price would be around 250€.

The concept is orientated towards virtual exploration and tourism (real monuments, historic sites and other places of interest modeled and rendered using powerful gaming engines like the CryEngine) but FPS gamers would find it quite tight in addition to the Oculus, whenever the latter will be launched. Until then, players would be able to shoot ahead without an Oculus, using a normal monitor screen or a HDTV, since everything would be motion ready and fitted with all the necesary sensors.

Stay tuned for more details.

Youtube demos to follow and other details on http://www.viiwok.com during the next few weeks.

    104 replies

    June 18, 2013
    Attreyu: By the way, I'm looking forward to your video! I wish you a good recovery.
    Up and Coming
    June 19, 2013
    Only 5 KG for an ODT with included safety harness and tracking capability???
    It's the same weight of the Wizdish (which is made up of just one single round board), but the Viiwok wants to compare to the Omni which weights 50 KG, so ten times more?
    I hope we're not going to face a big disappointment like the Virtua-Runna...
    Participant
    June 19, 2013
    Best wishes for a speedy recovery Attreyu!! :)

    @Crespo - I just wish he'd post a picture of it, as there's no hard evidence it exists in anything other than vapour. If it's actually viable, and there's a prototype we could see, I'd drop the Omni in a second due to the shipping alone.

    Hopefully the video of the unit in action will appear before the end of the Omni kickstarter - there are 33 days left after all.

    Although I guess it won't be Attreyu using it with his ankle in that sort of condition!!!
    June 19, 2013
    crespo80: I don't think he claimed to have an all in one device weighing just 5kg with included harness. That said, I'd love to see some actual photos / videos.
    Up and Coming
    July 3, 2013
    Any updates on Viiwok?
    Omni seems cool, but the cost of shipping internationally is still a bit prohibitive.
    AttreyuAuthor
    Up and Coming
    July 3, 2013
    I'm having some serious issues with the support pillars being too close to the user when walking which could translate into a safety issue, as some have pointed out. I'll concentrate on the final design which doesn't involve a heavy frame which was also costly and time consuming.
    That being said I'm confident enough to say that a full presentation of a functional product will be made by the time the Omni campaign finishes, as agreed with Jan. So it will be a "when it's done" timeframe.

    So patience is all I ask, for a bit more time. Both for the Viiwok and myself, still being caught in a recovery after the surgery which impacts on my mobility and work pace, having to depend on my family and friends for almost all daily tasks.

    Thank you.
    ViiWok
    Up and Coming
    July 3, 2013
    Well thank you for the response. I was starting to fear you might had vanished :roll:

    It's good to know we can still expect news in the near future.
    New Participant
    July 23, 2013
    Well the Omni campaign is over and my money has gone to them with nothing coming from you by today like you said you'd bring, good luck though man!
    Participant
    July 24, 2013
    Hmm, I was really looking forward to hearing about an alternate to the Omni, I am not convinced with the low friction surface with low friction shoes of the Omni, Jan made it look easy, but most of the videos I saw, beginners were slipping all over the place and barely hanging on.

    I hope the ViiWok developer can show us something different soon.
    New Participant
    July 26, 2013
    I'm one of the few non Virtuix employees that was able to test out the Omni, I picked it up like it was nothing..it really isn't that difficult, sure you slip some and have some trouble at first but 5-10 minutes of running and it felt natural to me, it truly is remarkable..