Mechanical backpack boosts the sensation of jumping in virtual reality

11 months ago 68

Technology

A VR accessory called JumpMod tin marque users consciousness similar they are jumping higher oregon landing harder, conscionable by moving a value connected their back

By Alex Wilkins

A mechanical backpack tin heighten the sensation of jumping oregon falling successful virtual world by sliding a value up oregon down.

Simulating forces connected the assemblage portion successful virtual world (VR), similar those you mightiness consciousness in a roller coaster oregon a racing car, often requires bulky and costly hardware that is unsuitable for location use.

Instead, Pedro Lopes astatine the University of Chicago and his colleagues person developed a backpack, called JumpMod, that tin make the sensation of being pulled up oregon down by modifying the user’s consciousness of vertical momentum. “You tin play tons of tricks conscionable by playing with perception, alternatively than physically having these monolithic infrastructures,” says Lopes.

To instrumentality the brain, JumpMod senses wrong milliseconds the request to springiness a consciousness of jumping oregon falling and past rapidly moves a 2-kilogram value up oregon down to execute this.

Lopes and his colleagues utilized the instrumentality to make a assortment of effects successful a VR simulation. In 1 portion of the game, players collected a token that enabled them to leap higher, helping them to leap implicit a cow. By moving the value up arsenic the subordinate was lifting disconnected the ground, JumpMod made it consciousness arsenic if they were jumping higher.

In different scenario, players had to smash a pumpkin by jumping connected it. By moving the value down arsenic the subordinate was descending, JumpMod made it consciousness arsenic if they were landing harder.

At the extremity of the game, the subordinate is lifted disconnected the crushed by a bird. The value successful the backpack moved downwards to springiness a consciousness of being lifted upwards.

Lopes presented the enactment astatine the Conference connected Human Factors successful Computing Systems successful Hamburg, Germany, connected 24 April. He says the strategy could besides beryllium utilized for grooming radical to leap much efficaciously done carnal feedback.

It is simply a caller VR accessory, but it would beryllium bully to spot longer-term information connected its usage to regularisation retired the effect of novelty successful the archetypal studies, says Brendan Walker astatine the University of Middlesex successful London. It could besides beryllium much ergonomically designed to debar putting each of the unit done the rucksack straps, helium says.

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