“Hindlekar” by Hindlekar, Zordan, Smith, Welter and Mckay

MechVR is an interactive VR/Motion simulator that offers an experience of driving a 3D simulated robot in a custom training world. From the user’s perspective, they “enter” the cockpit of a giant motorized biped, and experience an immersive, interactive virtual reality training ride as they drive the simulated robotic machine themselves. The idea is not unlike a flight simulator, but for an imaginary, giant walking, running, and flying robot machine. Under the hood is a custom software base that drives state-of-the-art motion simulation equipment based on a custom user interface. Our research questions include the control and physical fidelity of the virtual robot, and the transfer of the experience into an interactive real-world simulation (hardware) as well as the design of the user experience for this and similar applications, e.g. prototyping amusement park rides, and/or novel arcade-style motion experiences.

1. Nguyen, N., Arista, R., Liu, K. C., and Zordan, V. 2012. Adaptive dynamics with hybrid response. Siggraph Asia (Technical Brief). 
2. Oculus, 2016. https://www.oculus.com/en-us/.
3. SimCraft, 2016. http://www.simcraft.com/.
4. Unity3D, 2016. http://www.unity3d.com/.