Google patented VR-shoes, where you can walk forever

Soon you can go on a big adventure in the comfort of your apartment. Climb the hills, explore the caves, travel through the vast expanses. Google is going to release shoes in which you can physically feel as you move through the virtual world. It is expected that this will not only lead to the creation of new games “for the impressionable”, but it will also be the easiest way, without bothering yourself, to lose a few extra pounds in comfort.

The new development of Google is described in detail in a patent approved by a commission of the US Department of Commerce. This is a shoe that allows you to move as much as you like in a confined space. As planned by the company, this will help us to immerse us even more into virtual worlds.

Now one of the main problems of VR is that you are tied to one place, and often you are even afraid to take a step if you don’t have a huge room. Really feel the VR is so difficult. You still have to constantly fear with some part of the brain that you are now crashing into something.

Different companies have already tried to fix this problem. For example, in 2014, the Virtuix Omni platform for the Oculus Rift was introduced. The idea is very cool, and some amusement parks and centers for presentations have already taken it into service. But for private users there are a lot of flaws. First, the price. At least $ 699, for a simple model. Secondly, the size. Omni platform in size as a treadmill. If you are not going to go to Narnia or Fallout every day, you don’t really want to install such a large unit at home. And thirdly, the sensations are not the same. To move on the platform, you have to make a lot of effort (in fact, push it away from you), and around you are constantly stuck in a protective ring. Full immersion does not get.

Therefore, many creators of games for VR so far have to somehow limit the user in space. Make it a pilot of an airplane or a car, tied to an office chair or sofa. A freer world, such as VRChat, has already led to death, one of the first documented - in Moscow, a man crashed into a glass table. The game of the level of GTA V or RDR2, where you freely move on the big map, is simply impossible here, it is not worth it.

New development of Google, called "Shoes for virtual and / or augmented reality", is designed to eliminate all these existing problems. The patent describes motorized boots in which you can walk in the same way as in the real world, but at the same time they compensate for your movements, and you remain in place. They also determine if the space has run out in front of you, and warn you of a possible danger. The main thing - you will completely feel that you are moving the same way as always. Although from the side you will be like Michael Jackson.

VR shoes are not a new idea. So, at the beginning of 2017, a prototype of the Cerevo Taclim shoe was introduced, which allows you to make karate, kick your enemies, and also stimulate your heels, creating a feeling of movement on a certain surface (for example, on sand in the desert or on smooth stones). They were promised to launch in the autumn of 2017, but things are still there.

However, even if they manage to finish and release, because of their price ($ 1000- $ 1500) and great weight (about a kilogram), they are unlikely to receive wide distribution, and we will not see them at home. The head of the development company, Takuma Iwasa, says that they rely mainly on small business owners who want to attract customers. For example, ski vendors will be able to show how a particular model behaves on a mountain slope. And near the ice rinks, it will be possible to install a demo platform in order to safely train those who have never been to skate before.

Also, last year, Jamie Heineman, Star of MythBusters, famous for his non-standard technical solutions, really wanted to work on VR shoes for gamers. Despite a certain weight of Heinemann among enthusiasts, the idea came out rather crude, and did not receive the desired response. At Indiegogo, the project scored only $ 9,620 from a target of $ 50,000.

With the support of Google, perhaps such shoes can finally become a reality, and at reasonable prices. On the other hand, Google Glass also seemed to have prospects ...

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