Virtual Reality Gets Comfy 27
Roland Piquepaille writes "If you ever participated to some virtual reality (VR) experiments, you know that the environment is quite expensive and not always user-friendly. In fact, in some immersive environments, it's even possible to feel bad because of motion sickness. This is why researchers from Germany and Sweden have developed a new VR environment where the participants believe they're moving while being seated. This approach, which relies on visual and auditory illusions, could lead to commercial low-cost VR simulators in the near future."
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Limitations (Score:2)
I believe I experienced this in college on weekends, only it involved consuming fermented hops in amounts far beyond my tolerance level. No Swedish VR simulator was required, however German beer was.
Motion Sickness (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Motion Sickness (Score:2)
Kidding aside, perhaps VR sickness is less of an issue because it is a negative of seasickness and the brain places less importance on feeling than seeing. If we see that:
Seasickness: Lots of movement but no visuals (while inside)
VR sickness: Lots of visuals but no movement
While it's true that the brain 'prefers' all available sensory information
Re:Motion Sickness (Score:3, Informative)
The alternative that they are referring to in the article is a motion pod. In a pod you get thrown around alot, which will make you feel sick anyway, but you probably also have a lag between the feeling and motion. Every year we get a bunch of students that
Re:Motion Sickness (Score:2)
I have some added information about "VR Sickness". I've never thought of it as the lag between visuals and movement that induced the sickness, though I could see that as being a reason. The problem that I've always noticed about VR motion-simulation "seats" or "pods" or what-have-you, is that to simulate things like accelerating forwards, they will rotate you backwards, so gravity is pulling you back into your seat. My inner-ear notices the backwards rotation though, and it usually doesn't correspond with t
Re:Motion Sickness (Score:1)
William Gibbson / Otherland (Score:1)
I particularily liked how in Otherland they used 'old tech' that was basically a tank of gel that you had to lie in. It reinforced the gradients that the VR technology went through to get to the 'plug yourself in and go' option that most people just use everywhere (mostly - still expensive enough that not all people have it).
Re:William Gibbson / Otherland (Score:2)
Offtopic - I love Tad Williams' writing, and most of Otherland was awesome, but the last half of the last book just fell apart at the seams.
Grab.
Low-cost? (Score:2, Insightful)
Furthermore, one of the worst parts of VR simulators I've see has been lack of compelling content. They all seem to feature the same draw, namely that it's VR and that it's novel, fresh, and appealing. Immersiveness is law! Wait, I'm sounding like Romero here, urk.
Ahem. Anyway, once you get over the immersion factor, what's left? Not much, usually. The same can
Re:Low-cost? (Score:2)
I've really been waiting for that (Score:2)
Re:I've really been waiting for that (Score:1)
I liked this technology better the first time... (Score:2, Insightful)
Still one of the best rides there, in fact...
Re:I liked this technology better the first time.. (Score:1)
Simulation, NOT VR (Score:3, Interesting)
You don't get motion sickness in VR, as long as you don't move. But if you are moved, your body becomes confused because you sense the movement, and it conflicts with what you see. Thus, it is exactly the same as being below deck in a ship on rough seas.
Besides, the technology in the article is far from new. I believe Disney used it, and it is much like I-Max movies. At least it appears to be from RTFA.
Re:Simulation, NOT VR (Score:2)
Something's still missing. (Score:3, Funny)
may hurt ginger sales (Score:1)
So now some people don't need to eat ginger for combating motion sickness?
[sVen]
A million little promises (Score:2)
You know, call it deja vu, but I could *swear* I have heard that exact same phrase used before.
-Eric
No, the cat does not "got my tongue." (Score:1)
> could lead to commercial low-cost VR simulators in the near future."
Thank god. Now my wife and I can go sit our combined, 500lb.+ asses in the personal, two-person VR simulators in malls without sitting there for a few minutes of nothingness, followed by the door opening, the guy announcing the ride was not working, us walking away, then him starting it up again after we are out of visual range.