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It Started with the VR Locomotion Problem
Virtual Reality (VR) technology has come a long way recently with amazing display technology and great game engines that can put us into amazing places - both real and imagined. Content for VR has evolved from simple 360 photography to environments rendered dynamically. Users immersed in a VR Head Mounted Display (HMD) have options for changing their perspective. A user can rotate their head to see in a different direction. to turn 180 degrees requires most people to rotate their whole body, which is probably why most VR users stand or sit on a rotating stool. The bigger problem comes when the user wants to move while immersed. It would be great if we could just walk and run in any direction, but walls, furniture, pets, and other people can get in our way unless the content is built specifically for the space the user is in. Teleporting by pointing and clicking seems to be the most common option, but it is tedious and not the way we move in real life. A lot of alternative methods of movement have been conceived and most involve a lot of standing and physical movement. We offer an alternative that we think not only solves the locomotion problem for VR, but creative users are finding it useful for first-person video games and for controlling remote avatars and unmanned vehicles. Sit and navigate HoboLoco controllers are styled like a “hoverboard” without wheels. The device is placed on the floor in front of a seated user so they can rest one foot on each footplate in its neutral position. The device employs a unique scheme of navigation control that requires little effort to move your avatar in any direction. Haptic feedback is embedded in the footplates. Standard HID protocols (keyboard & mouse or gamepad) enable communication over USB or Bluetooth. Users and developers are able to customize the operation of the device for various games. Benefits
Hands-free Seated Intuitive Portable Simple motions Non-tiring Safer than standing Want to try it for yourself? Contact us at info@hoboloco.com If you're a game or training developer, we'd love to give your users continuous movement. Operational Uses
As a continuous locomotion controller for VR
For example, it has been used with the following first-person PC games:
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