If you’re looking for a quick and easy project to get into virtual reality, making your own VR skateboard controller is actually pretty easy to do!
First you’ll need some kind of VR headset. You could buy a fancy one, like the Oculus, or a Samsung Gear VR — or you could use something as simple as Google Cardboard — and you could even make your own. All it takes is a phone, an Arduino, a Bluetooth module, and an accelerometer-plus-gyroscope IMU.
[Matt] took an old skateboard and pulled the wheels off, replacing them with cut-open tennis balls, allowing for some flex and saving his floor from scratches. Next he attached the Arduino setup to the bottom of the board. And that’s it, really. The skateboard acts as a sensor board for his phone. It connects through Bluetooth to his home-made Unity game that he made for Android. That’s a lot of bang for the buck in our book.
That’s awesome! I’d be worried about falling off it, though. I could see someone building a simple PVC frame around it so you have something to hold on to.
I would take those wheels off so hard. but then I’d totally try this; simple and dope.
just kidding tennis balls
This is brilliant. I am getting into this kind of setup but have been using Three.js for the game/interactive side.