Virtual Reality Equipment

Virtual reality (VR) equipment are headsets that cover a person’s eyes and have a display to create a virtual environment. They can be self-contained like the Meta Quest and HTC Vive or rely on a smartphone.

Jaunt’s VR technology captures high-quality 3D stereoscopic video and audio. They are used for cinematic experiences such as the Wachowski siblings’ film The Matrix.

Headsets

The most important piece of virtual reality equipment is the headset, a device that looks like a thick pair of goggles and covers the eyes to display computer-generated graphical output. It can connect to a computer or gaming console, and it may come with handheld controllers that translate your real-world movements into the virtual world. There is also a range of optional accessories from hand controllers to treadmills that can make the VR experience more immersive.

VR headsets use a system known as head tracking to follow the user’s movement and display the virtual world accordingly. They send out a dense network of infrared beams into the room at millisecond intervals, and photo sensors in the headsets and controllers react to them by reading the difference in time between when the beam hits each sensor. The computer then correlates these signals with a representation of the user’s physical position.

Virtual reality equipment can be used to create simulated environments that mimic the natural environment or an artificial one created in the laboratory. It can also be used to train people for jobs that require skills that are difficult or impossible to learn in the real world, such as operating a crane or piloting an aircraft. It can also be used for social interaction with other people in a virtual world, such as playing video games or watching movies.

Motion Trackers

Motion tracking is a key technology that allows virtual reality displays, augmented reality glasses, and other wearable devices to track the position of their users. It is also used in the field of rehabilitation medicine to allow paraplegics and quadriplegics to control robotic prosthetic limbs. It can even be used to reroute the nerves in amputees, so that their truncated nerve endings can transmit signals from their muscles to the prosthetics.

The motion trackers used by VR headsets need to be small enough to fit inside the device, but accurate enough to accurately measure movement. They usually consist of two components: a sensor and a tracker. The sensor measures acceleration, angular velocity, and magnetic field strength while the tracker calculates an object’s position using algorithms based on these sensors.

For example, the HTC Vive uses Lighthouse tracking which consists of LED’s that flash and reflect off of mirrors in the room. These beams are then picked up by photo sensors in the controllers and HMD. The system calculates, based on virtual reality equipment the time between each laser sweep, an estimate of the tracked device’s pose in the space.

Researchers have compared the accuracy of VR sensor systems to other tracking technologies in both static and dynamic conditions. In one study, the authors recorded kinematic data from 26 dynamic movements with a Qualisys system and a Vive system in parallel using different tracker configurations. This information was then processed to derive joint angles and the synchronisation of the times series of both independent systems was evaluated.

Cyberith Virtualizer

The Virtualizer from Cyberith is a self-described device that aims to break into the elusive territory of true game immersion. It accomplishes this by combining several existing technologies with a little bit of ingenuity.

It is essentially an omnidirectional treadmill for use with VR headsets that allows users to move naturally while playing games. The device features a flat base plate with low friction that closely mimics the surface of a regular treadmill. Users wear simple socks and a harness that places them inside a moving ring construction. The movement of the user is then faithfully translated into a similar movement in the game. Jumping, running, kneeling or even sitting is accurately matched in the game with a precision of less than one centimeter.

In addition to providing a natural motion for virtual reality gaming, the Cyberith Virtualizer also provides haptic feedback. This is done by utilizing the audio output from the games and using special transducers to create precise, directed haptic effects. This can be particularly useful for games that have sounds like explosions in close proximity that might otherwise be missed by the human ear.

While it is a bit pricey at $949 for early birds and $999 from there on, the Cyberith Virtualizer is a fascinating gadget. It could be especially useful for games that require a lot of movement such as FPS, racing or driving.

Oculus Rift

A virtual reality headset puts you in a different world, often as close as the room around you. It can make you feel like you’re skydiving without a parachute, or like you’re watching the world through another person’s eyes. You can visit fictional settings that range from kaiju-fighting robots to Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment.

The Rift resembles ski goggles, but the inner structure is a lot more complex. To reduce the discomfort some people experience with VR, it uses vr box a stretchy material that feels like Spandex and conforms to the shape of your head. It also helps keep moisture vapor to a minimum and prevents the headset from slipping or causing other adjustments to be made by accident.

One of the most important parts of a VR headset is its audio. The worlds you can explore depend on sound effects to be believable, so Oculus developed a system that simulates sound to give the illusion of being immersed in another place or time.

The $599 consumer Rift comes with a pair of Oculus sensors, two Touch controllers, seven free VR apps (including Lucky’s Tale and Robo Recall), and all the cables you’ll need to get it up and running. You can sit or stand while using it, but the sensors aren’t designed to track you around your room like they are for HTC’s Vive (what’s called “room-scale VR”). That feature will arrive in an update soon.