A VR locomotion device based off robotic arms

[@finallyfunctional]

My hackaday project page with more details - hackaday.io/project/185539-robotic-arm-vr-locomotion-device

[@johndough8115]

You can make sliding joints, to solve the limited mobility issues. Cut a center channel out of the top "limb", and potentially use bands to return it to its original positions. One could also use a tracker, so that the device knowns exactly where your feet are... and could adjust its feedback-movements, to any positional differences. Another option, is that the Channel is driven by a cable or chain drive.. and so when you slide the boot/platform... it tracks and can drive the boot/platform back and forth along it. Finally.. what you have shown here... lacks vertical jump ability. For this... one might need a vertical boot slider/track assembly.

[@finallyfunctional]

Yes, thanks for the suggestion. A sliding joint sounds a bit better than making the limb telescope. With the foot binding I'm planning on using, a short jump should be possible as long as the rods the binding slides on are long enough.

[@tat0_ch1p_56]

This looks really exciting! Can't wait to check out the finished product!

[@raninrai2849]

personally i think the best is the bungee system like the yoga bungee work out..like the weightless VR video..

[@MasterThief117]

You know, I bet you could do something with a very simple elliptical machine. They're free-standing, generally compact, and some more expensive ones have motors which can be used to add tracking and resistance to simulate walking through different types of terrain. The only "big" modifications that would need to be made would be to add a harness and something to allow rotation. Only downside is this wouldn't allow for jumping, but there will always be tradeoffs.

[@Jowbaka]

Why not have the arms coming from the sides of a sliding surface and attached in some way to sliding shoes. Then the arms and joints don't have to hold the weight of the person. The robots arms then only control the experienced amount of friction.

[@judgsmith]

looking forward to this.

[@闫天书]

i had dreamed of this , maybe it's the best way to enter VR world

[@alexhb7949]

How heavy is the foot binding? Can you feel your foot lifting the strap?

[@finallyfunctional]

The binding itself is very light. I cannot feel it.

[@DAVING0]

This might be a terrible idea. Is it was possible to use magnets to walk on. Magnet for base and opposing magnets on feet soles with varying strengths.

[@finallyfunctional]

Something like this, with magnetically levitated plates that can move along a surface? kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXTNYp6AZqusoZY If I remember right, those robots couldn't lift much weight, let alone a person. I think the idea is possible, but not something I could tackle. I could see it requiring a lot of power and be complicated and expensive.

[@cybyrd9615]

Will it allow the feet to cross?

[@444haluk]

Can you use this while sitting? If you can do something that people can use while sitting at a chair, you could make serious money

[@SuperMarijus]

that already exists

[@finallyfunctional]

A support rig where you can sit could be attached to this, and I probably will do so. I've already made two support rigs that support sitting.

[@444haluk]

@@finallyfunctional No, no, something that can be put around to the legs of an office chair, imagine a ring shape with some thickness. You buy it, you put your office chair in the middle of it. You place your feet to the pedals and fix it, then you use your legs like a controller, and the office chair naturally rotates. No risk of falling or damaging something. Imagine it with hand-tracking headsets without controllers (like quest hand-tracking 2.0 or something). It could be very useful for game companies.

[@finallyfunctional]

@@444haluk How is that much different than Cybershoes?

[@bobcreamier9854]

Exo suit is the way. That system is to much in the way

[@finallyfunctional]

Exo suits would be cool. Going to have to disagree about the system being too much in the way. It appeared to me it would support a wide range of motion.

[@enescakr4203]

Useless... make a shoe that has ball bearings under it which slides on a concave platform and put tracking dots on your shoes that is tracked by cameras. No moving parts, no stress and freedom of use.

[@finallyfunctional]

Lol

[@Sycophantichallenger]

Curious when we might see an update on this project.