omni-directional treadmill
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Virtuix Omni VR treadmill Kickstarter goes live, fully funded almost immediately
Within hours of going live earlier today, Virtuix's Kickstarter campaign for its flagship omni-directional VR treadmill has not only reached its fundraising goal of $150,000, but as of press time has earned more than twice that, with 980 backers contributing a total of $368,987. The campaign still has 48 days of funding remaining. Money earned through the campaign will be spent on transitioning the Omni from its current prototype stage into a product that can be mass produced, with production slated to begin sometime this December. Initial units are expected to begin shipping next January, though the campaign does acknowledge that "delivery dates are at the mercy of unforeseen manufacturing issues." While a final retail price for the Omni has not been disclosed, the Kickstarter's FAQ states that it will be "significantly higher" than the donation levels that currently include the Omni device, which start at $400. Each donation tier is limited to 500 units each, so folks with deep pockets, a love of VR and an angel's share of trust might want to start contemplating.
This is what playing TF2 with an Oculus Rift and an omni-directional treadmill looks like
In order to demonstrate the functionality of its "Omni" prototype treadmill, which the company calls a "natural motion interface for virtual reality applications," technology start-up Virtuix has released the above video of the contraption being used in conjunction with an Oculus Rift and Team Fortress 2.The setup essentially works like this: The Oculus Rift handles head tracking and display duties, while a Kinect tracks how the player walks/runs on the the Omni, and then converts that input into in-game commands. The Kinect is an in-development solution, however, and Virtuix says the Omni will include its own sensor when/if it ships to consumers.The company plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign in May, with final production units costing somewhere between $400 and $600, sans shipping. A second example video, this time showing a better look at a prototype of the device while in use, has been tucked away beyond the veil.
