DIY VR rig makes neck pain an un-virtual reality
By Donald Melanson 
posted April 7th 2010 5:18PM
posted April 7th 2010 5:18PM
Sure, there's plenty of practical VR options available these days (DIY and otherwise), but there's also something to be said for rigs that stick to virtual reality's cumbersome, unwieldy roots. Sharing that sentiment is DIYer Gavan Woolery, who combined an Acer GD235HZ 3D monitor, a pair of shutter glasses, and a TrackIR 5 head-tracking system to build this rig that manages to make the helmet from Videodrome look comfortable. Of course, Woolery is completely up front that the rig is "not in any way designed to be practical," but it does seem to work remarkably well, and it's reasonably inexpensive to build yourself if you're so inclined -- at least compared to other dedicated VR rigs. Head on past the break to check it out in action, and hit up the source link below for the complete details.
Rofl.
I think this dude needs to go out once in a while
give him a break he's obviously autistic for chrissake, i mean look at the video.
@Mister Warmth
Even autistic needs to go out once in awhile
He's obviously not. Read the article, you can see he has a sense of humor. He was moving his head like that to show how it tracked his head movements.
autistic.
Every time he leaved forward I was really hoping gravity would win.
@TurboTalon
LEANED
idkk, that looks heavy to be holding up with your head for hours on end playing WoW
@abedinthehouse
no shit, not to mention it looks absurd
@cjwild
in fact, I can only imagine what one would think if they walked into a room and saw someone with this on. I'd think it was some form of brainwashing device. I bet if my grandma were to come over and visit and I was wearing one of these she's think i was abducted by aliens or something.
Wow you've got to be kidding me! Eye sight lost in 3 hrs. Good luck!
@hero785 Yeah.. and thats even if you're not watching porn on it!
That is ridiculously cool in so many ways :O
WARNING: may cause decapitation
and Vader knows stuff about it...
No, i was just reading the disclaimer
@NIMBUS. And it's Lord Vader to you
If it didn't look so damn heavy that'd be soo cool.
Saw IX
Where do you people find the time to do these things???
@kiden probably during the same hundreds of hours I am playing civilization IV or oblivion
Way cool1
Wow, this guy must have really wanted to be in the movie The Last Starfighter.
@morpheus1364 !!!! ( i get it :))
Hey Joe, you're blocking the TV.
Eh, looks like there is a counterweight behind him to negate the neck strain. Doesn't mean it's comfortable though. People like to do these DIY projects. Cut him some slack.
Interesting. But why did he only use a 23.6" monitor? I'm thinking about a 51" would be perfect. A curved monitor would be even better. And the 3D difference between left and right frames would be greater if you are 1 foot away from the screen.
He gets some geek points from me though.
You wanna try mounting a 50 inch TV to your face?
Reminds me of that scene with Denzel Washington in Deja Vu :)
wouldn't a projector be cheaper and lighter?
@Air King I considered using a projector attached to the top of the helmet, but quality projectors are typically pretty heavy, although significantly less than this rig. But the real problem is directing the light properly over such a short distance -- without an elaborate mirror setup, the image would be skewed, no to mention the image would have less quality than what a monitor could provide directly. Alternatively, you could use a projector in a white, spherical room, which would actually probably be a decent solution, although it would provide an inferior field of view due to the necessary distance of such a setup.
@Air King Also, you need a 3D compatible projector (120hz), and those are still relatively expensive and low resolution.
your necks not strained, but your eyes are going to burn out that close to a tv
This guy is making cooler equiptment with parts ordered from the Internet than games companies are producing with million of $'s of investment. Finally someone with the balls to move entertainment into the 21st century. He is the mcguiver of geek tech! I would love to see what he can make out if an old microwave, some duct-tape and a casio watch!!!
but why!?
does it at least have a counter-weight (i can't believe i'm asking this)? imagine your neck after even 5 minutes with that thing on. the next day... the muscle soreness.... ouch!
still waiting for that 1024x600 (at least) desktop-on-glasses display. heck they could have it with a 3d mode too. that would be awesome and i could game/do work whilst sleeping in my bed.
@buoy Yes there is a counter-weight -- you can read more about it on the blog at kiwi64.com. Also, as I mentioned, this is hardly a practical solution, just a proof of concept -- lighter screens will be out soon (weighing under one pound -- this one weighs 13 pounds).
@gavanw ok thank you i'll take a look.
Reasonably inexpensive, by that I think you mean outrageously expensive. Regardless, proof of concepts, especially DIY style, are hella cool.
Um.... You're too close to the screen!!!
MY EEEEYYYYEEEESSSS!!!!!