DIY project merges VR goggles with RC airplane

Those crafty Canadians, they've invented everything from the beloved BlackBerry to medicalbots. Well, let's add another really sweet creation (DIY-style, this time) to the mix: a radio-controlled airplane with an on-board wireless pan-tilt camera that's linked up to a pair of VR goggles to show what the cam sees. When the terrestrial-bound viewer wears said goggles and moves his or her head, the plane-based cam will adjust accordingly -- if the viewer looks up, the cam looks up, and if the viewer looks to the left, the cam looks to the left, et cetera. Just check out the video linked below, for an amazing aerial tour of the "Club de golf Royal" in Bromont, Québec (near Montreal).

[Via digg]

[Chris @ Sep 27th 2006 6:20AM]

I love this! I have to have one! - This could help television programmes and films so much it's unbelieveable - this guy has to go into production and mass produce these things!

I know I'd buy one

[Shar @ Sep 27th 2006 10:50AM]

Nice

[karmaghost @ Sep 27th 2006 7:04AM]

You guys are at least a few days late on this one.

[major @ Sep 27th 2006 7:06AM]

The implications for this are quite amazing actually. Especially in a military sense.

[ty @ Sep 27th 2006 8:26AM]

better late than never

[Jon McCartie @ Sep 27th 2006 10:02AM]

cool goggles. horrid music.

[yubastard @ Sep 27th 2006 10:13AM]

i misreead the title and thought google was doing RC & VR lol

dumbass...

[phone nerd @ Sep 27th 2006 10:40AM]

I agree 100% Jon McCartie

"cool goggles. horrid music."

WTF is that. Why didn't they mount the camera to the bottom of the plane so that you can get a good view of something else than the cockpit?

[aeo @ Sep 27th 2006 11:14AM]

Holy crap that's awesome.

Phone Nerd: Mounting the pan/tilt camera on the bottom would unfortunately crush the mechanism when the plane belly-lands. Personally, I think that mounting the camera in the cockpit gives you a better sense of the orientation of the plane because you're not just flying an R/C plane, this allows you to become an actual pilot IN the cockpit and the occlusion of the airframe gives you a real sense of what real pilots experience. Also, you could put functioning instrumentation in the cockpit such as airspeed, battery power, heading, etc. and just look down at them just like a real pilot. I'm not sure how difficult/expensive it would be to incorporate such information into the video data stream like the military UAVs.

[peej @ Sep 27th 2006 12:01PM]

Man, I bet this thing will have you puking in no time. I totally love RC planes and putting cameras on them but I'd never be able to handle the VR headset. Note that the "look around" function causes even more inner ear/brain conflicting signals which will have those of use who suffer motion sicknes dropped to our knees in double time.

Don't get me wrong though, it's friggin' awesome!

[Dave @ Sep 27th 2006 12:03PM]

This really is quite amazing. Being a student pilot myself I must say that this would be great fun and practice at a fraction of the cost of renting a real plane. It is by no means a substitute, but many can't afford to rent a plane and this gives them the ability to experience something so few get to experience.
Very phenominal! I most definately want one!

[James @ Sep 27th 2006 12:08PM]

I wonder what the range is on the remote and video transmitter.
It would suck to have an in-the-cockpit view of the plane spiraling out of control into the ground.

[brownopher @ Sep 27th 2006 12:09PM]

Woa that is really sweet. I want these goggles. That music sucked bad though.

[schale_WDI @ Sep 27th 2006 1:03PM]

Coolest thing ever!

[Rick Lyon @ Sep 27th 2006 1:05PM]

Wow, very cool. I thought the music went with the whole flying like a bird on the wind thing and found it tolerable.

[Aaron @ Sep 27th 2006 2:06PM]

That's the freaking theme song from "Enterprise". YUCK!
Cool idea with the pan/tilt. I had a cam static mounted in an RC Heli that was pretty fun. The pan/tilt feature reminds me of flying a flight sim with Natural Point's TrackIR head tracking.

[Mikey @ Sep 27th 2006 6:12PM]

This is way better than my hacked CVS camera on a kite. I have always wanted to learn to fly RC aircraft. Now I have a reason.

[John @ Jan 1st 2007 6:39AM]

As a 1930's born nerd, I thought that I had seen it all when the Spitfire first flew. But now I really have seen it all.I give the backing 8.

[Steven @ Mar 2nd 2008 2:44AM]

I want them now. Can somebody tell me the websites where I can buy them now?

[Gilbert @ Mar 8th 2008 4:15PM]

If you find out where you can get one, please let me know.

[Erik DeLamarter @ Jun 17th 2008 10:28AM]

This has been around for a while, have a look at this SWISS website.
Lots of videos too.

http://www.rc-tech.ch/web/index.php?lang=en