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MrMonkeybat
Up and Coming
May 13, 2014

VR Mat

At 42:00 Dov Kats says they want to go up to room sized tracking for the consumer version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxbh-TM5yNc
So motion controllers would go naturally with that. Sucks to be a third party motion controller company.

I posted that on another thread but it got me thinking.

VR mat

if Oculus are going for room sized tracking with motion controllers for CV. Do you think this would be a cheap alternative to virtualiser/omni. A roll out mat with an inflatable rim. A USB pressure sensor embedded in the rim detects when and where you tread on it moving you in that direction. That this requires you to start moving you feet in the desired direction with the amount you lean controlling speed might decrease motion sickness hopefully. A similar idea might be 360 degree balance board but the mat with inflatable rims could be made larger easier and could be rolled up so the boxes take up little space in shipping containers, shop shelves etc.

    1 reply

    pretzelzzz
    New Participant
    July 18, 2014
    Well, how about this... As you know, you can purchase a cheap USB game mat for the floor with the four directional arrows. (at the least, you may actually only need 1 input sensor) I was wondering about this adaption to allow for input of variable speed walking, which would cater for any direction...

    Everytime the single sensor mat detects a subsequent foot tap, it is the same as a single tap (a down and up) of your mapped "forward key" (eg keyboard up arrow), which can be mapped in the OS so as to result in a move forward for your character.

    So lets say:

    1. You jump both feet on your matt arrow. Result: you move forward one pace in the game - since both feet hit sensor at same time. (if only loosely judged)
    2. You start walking on the spot. Result: with each foot press on same arrow, you move forward a pace in the game. +(down/up+down/up+down/up... of the mapped "forward" key)
    3. You start jogging on the spot. Result: you're now moving forward at a jogging pace. The (down/up) speed is no different, (its as small as a keyboard tap can be registered) but there are more of them and coming in at a faster rate.
    4. You start running. Result: you've got a rapid succession of "forward key taps".

    5. You want to move forward around a virtual corner, so you look in the direction you want to go by turning your head inside the rift, along with your body, whilst jogging on the same spot (since the arrow doesn't care which direction your feet are hitting down on it) Result: the matt registers the move forward, in conjunction with the rift turn which registers the direction.

    If this could be tweaked to work, the advantages would be:
    a) cheap game matt accessible for all
    b) no need for space in your room, since you can move forward, in any virtual direction, at any speed, without coming off the "spot".
    c) probably essential - some intermediate software could translate the simulated "pacing" speed. This means, if one foot step on the sensor moved you forward in the game too little or too far (to feel realistic) then the pacing software slider could beforehand be set for how long the keyboard arrow key (for example) was "held down" when a foot step on the matt sensor had been detected.

    Now that for very little money would be awesome! I'd love to exert some physical energy into moving about in-game! (and I suppose if you reached out and foot tapped the left or right arrows, you could strafe left or right)

    Any thoughts? :)
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