Engineer Creates Motorized Shoes to Integrate With VR
A software engineer designed his own motorized shoes to engage better with virtual reality.
It may seem a bit scary to dive into another dimension, just by putting on a headset. Still, there are people who love that and want to feel engaged with virtual reality. Now it is the accessories and units’ turn to back it up.
Alexander Evans, a software engineer, has designed his own motorized shoes to connect them to VR games. He shared his design on Reddit a couple of days ago.
Shoes are moving steadily, which don’t allow you to move away from your spot. It is like walking on a treadmill, he explains in his blog. They are also able to make you walk in any direction, as they are omnidirectional.
Testing process
He shared a video of testing his newly designed shoes. As he explains, the shoes were barely ready for the test. His upcoming plan is to get better electronics and improve the algorithm, as the one he used was very basic. Manual controls also seem to slow down the moving and integration.
Software engineer found the testing turned out well anyway, as it was the very first time. The shoes are yet to communicate with the headset, and computer, supported by wifi and Bluetooth.
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Some qualifications to be improved
Even if the shoes can be controlled manually, there is a chance of sliding around. Hence, Evans recommends installing a safety harness mounted to the ceiling. If you are getting your hopes up with jumping, the design is focused on walking, turning, and strafing for now. And it is reportedly not available with the equipment in hand, he says.
Keep in mind that it will be also hard to walk on carpets if it is not a very thin one.
It’s his own design and there are a bunch of people interested in this virtual world and supportive accessories, that is why Evans expects the shoes to hit the market in the near future.
However, he states that he is not getting a patent, as it is against his purpose of making something useful and sharing it with everyone.
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