Wiper Motor Motion Simulator

September 24, 2012 by Eric Evenchick 17 Comments

[DERIY] set out to create a two degrees of freedom motion simulator for driving simulation. After four months, he’s completed this impressive simulator for about $400. The simulator receives driving data from the game and actuates the seat to provide tactile feedback to the driver.

To keep the costs low, he decided to use wiper motors for actuating the seat. The system is controlled by the Thanos AMC Motion Controller. This AVR based system connects over USB and controls the motor drivers. There’s also a collection of software for calibrating the system, including tuning the PID control and setting up the feedback potentiometers. An LCD display provides some information on the system status during operation.

If you’ve ever wanted to build a motion simulator, this is a good example of how to get started. The open source hardware for this makes controlling the system easier, and using readily available components can lower the build cost.

Check out a video of the simulator in action after the break.

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VFX1 Virtual Reality Headset LinkBox

September 20, 2012 by Richard Steele 21 Comments

[Kevin Mellott’s] take on the VFX1 was to update it so it can be used with modern computers requiring just a USB socket and VGA feed.

The VFX1 is a Virtual Reality Headset that hit the market in the first half of the 90’s. The headset was the first of its kind to hit the home market and was ahead of its time. The VFX1 was developed and marketed by Forte Technologies, who’s assets where purchased in 1997 by Vuzix who now produce modern day Video glasses with optional tracking system.

What [Kevin] has achieved is nothing more than remarkable. The original system required a massive ISA card and a link from this card to the Feature Connector on the display card. [Kevin] did away with the ISA card and FCON replacing it with what he calls the LinkBox. This LinkBox has serial or USB out and accepts stereo/mono VGA input or RGB.

The system can now be used with modern day computers including laptops. Those into VR should really check this out.

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DIY Oculus Rift VR

September 1, 2012 by Caleb Kraft 15 Comments

For those that absolultely can’t wait to get to experience the Oculus Rift, you can follow these plans to build your own.

MTBS3D forum user [Rfurlan] pledged in the oculus rift kickstarter (which concluded last night), but simply couldn’t wait till November/December to get his developer kit. That, and he’s probably only getting one, and who can live with only one? Since [Palmer], the creator of the oculus rift has been very open about parts, [Rfurlan] was able to compile build instructions for your very own Oculus Rift! Keep in mind though, this is only the immersive display, not the tracking component. It is also, possibly not exactly the same as the oculus, but rather the same as a recent prototype.

At one point he was having issues finding the correct lenses and [Palmer] jumped in to make some suggestions to keep things going. That’s the kind of enthusiasm that we love to see from an innovator, even when he’s in the middle of a kickstarted for the very item that [Rfurlan] is creating. This is a testament to the VR community.

Lets take a look at what makes this thing tick, and why it is such a big deal.

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The Simulacrum, An Innovative Solution To Walking In Virtual Reality

August 31, 2012 by Caleb Kraft 12 Comments

If you’ve been following along with immersive gaming, even casually, you’ve probably considered the difficulty in trying to do a comfortable and believable “walk” in a game. The first thing that usually pops into peoples minds are Omni Directional Treadmills, or ODTs. There are many problems with these, one of the biggest simply being cost. They’re very expensive.

[Zalo] at the MTBS3d forums has been working on his own very cost effective solution called the “Simulacrum”. He has built this for under $100 and it allows for a walking motion to be translated into the game. As you can see in the video below it works fairly well, even when one is out of commission for repairs (hence the limp).

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