The eight360 Nova

The new eight360 Nova is a new untethered ball that can rotate in 360 degree rotation. It provides the users with wild gravity effects so that they could get great a user experience. This has been created by the New Zealand startup. Their team at first tried out to make a helicopter hover training ring. That, of course, included the VR. Well, it accomplished work shockingly yet while utilizing it some metal shaving got inside the PC and it blew up. But no one was too much injured in it and the person inside it was one of the founders. This made them insist to make a better version of it. The base plugs into standard three-attachments, while the ball itself has an incredible PC. One can also switch out the seat so that users could match up to the vehicle they are emulating. The platform offers the users a great experience of sights, motion, sounds, and sensations. It can do so because of the virtual environment it provides. 

They have custom-designed the VR tracking that gives excellent user experience. It may make the users feel that they are upside down but in reality, they will be sitting in an upright position.  The stage has got three Omni haggles wheel can drive the ball fixed way. The ball has the nominal roll speed up to 180 degrees per second, which is amazingly fast. Their gravity effects just don’t stimulate the tilt angles but also they can simulate acceleration and deceleration and also users can sense the forces bumps and crashes like real. Till now this team has manufactured three V3 Nova fixes and is currently prepared to take requests and increment the creation. But instead of that, it is been used in forestry industries, defense forces. This nova ball helps them to train the workers as accidents in such areas are somewhat common. The company is now ready to take orders and increase production.

More information:

https://virallynews.com/the-eight360-nova/

Florida VR Field Trip Guide

Unreal Engine 4 developer Epic Games has awarded a $25,000 grant to a University of Central Florida assistant professor who has created a VR field trip guide. An information scientist and artist created The Virtual UCF Arboretum, a VR recreation of the university’s 247 acres of unspoiled Florida habitat. The experience, available for download from and use on any game or VR-ready PC, allows users to hike through the university’s real arboretum, which has been recreated from field observations, photos, measurements, drone footage and historical geographic information system (GIS) data.

Users can also access a virtual field guide that provides more detailed information about any object in the virtual model. As users traverse a landscape that ranges from swamps to scrubby flatwoods, they can get a close-up view of any plant they see, and can listen to the sounds of the creatures that inhabit the arboretum. Epic Games awarded the $25,000 through its MegaGrants programme. The money will allow researchers to explore new techniques to improve the VR experience and to potentially broaden the collection.

More information:

https://vrworldtech.com/2020/05/12/epic-games-backs-vr-field-trip-through-unspoiled-florida-habitat/

Biomechanics of Cheetahs Help Build Faster Robots

Inspired by the biomechanics of cheetahs, researchers have developed a new type of soft robot that is capable of moving more quickly on solid surfaces or in the water than previous generations of soft robots. The new soft robotics is also capable of grabbing objects delicately, or with sufficient strength to lift heavy objects. The fastest soft robots until now could move at speeds of up to 0.8 body lengths per second on flat, solid surfaces. The new class of soft robots, which are called ‘Leveraging Elastic instabilities for Amplified Performance’ (LEAP), are able to reach speeds of up to 2.7 body lengths per second (more than three times faster) at a low actuation frequency of about 3Hz. 

These new robots are also capable of running up steep inclines, which can be challenging or impossible for soft robots that exert less force against the ground. These "galloping" LEAP robots are approximately 7 centimeters long and weigh about 45 grams. The researchers also demonstrated that the LEAP design could improve swimming speeds for soft robots. Attaching a fin, rather than feet, a LEAP robot was able to swim at a speed of 0.78 body lengths per second, as compared to 0.7 body lengths per second for the previous fastest swimming soft robot. The researchers note that this work serves as a proof of concept, and are optimistic that they can modify the design to make LEAP robots that are even faster and more powerful.

More information:

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-05-cheetahs-fastest-soft-robots.html

Sony Face Tracking VR Patent

A US patent granted to Sony reveals research on VR face tracking, a vital technology for the future of multiplayer and social VR. Titled Integration of tracked facial features for VR users in virtual reality environments, the patent describes the use of one or more cameras on the underside or nosegap of the headset to capture the user’s mouth and facial expression in real time. This tracked data would be represented on a virtual avatar, shown to other users online in multiplayer games. Imagine seeing your friend gasp, smile, or laugh inside a shared virtual world- that future is on the horizon. As with previous Sony patents, the headset also contains eye tracking so that your gaze is represented.

The patent describes a few interesting techniques to deal with the occlusion issues- the cameras not being able to see the whole face. A flex sensor pressing against the user’s face is proposed, as well as a way to sense the exact position of the nose flap so that it isn’t detected as part of the user’s face. Facebook, the company behind the Oculus VR brand, has shown off similar technology over the past few years. There’s no indication that this technology will ship in PlayStation VR 2, Sony’s highly anticipated upcoming headset for PlayStation 5. It could be research for headsets even further in the future. Oftentimes patented ideas by major companies never come to fruition at all.

More information:

https://uploadvr.com/sony-face-tracking-patent

VR Device Simulates Feel of Solid Objects

A new VR device developed at Carnegie Mellon University uses multiple strings attached to the hand and fingers to simulate the feel of obstacles and heavy objects. By locking the strings when the user’s hand is near a virtual wall, for instance, the device simulates the sense of touching the wall. Similarly, the string mechanism enables people to feel the contours of a virtual sculpture, sense resistance when they push on a piece of furniture or even give a high five to a virtual character. Other researchers have used strings to create haptic feedback in virtual worlds, but typically they use motors to control the strings. Motors wouldn’t work for the CMU researchers, who envisioned a system both light enough to be worn by the user and affordable for consumers. Instead of motors, the team used spring-loaded retractors, similar to those seen in key chains or ID badges. 

They added a ratchet mechanism that can be rapidly locked with an electrically controlled latch. The springs, not motors, keep the strings taut. Only a small amount of electrical power is needed to engage the latch, so the system is energy efficient and can be operated on battery power. The researchers experimented with a number of different strings and string placements, eventually concluding that attaching one string to each fingertip, one to the palm and one to the wrist provided the best experience. A Leap Motion sensor, which tracks hand and finger motions, is attached to the VR headset. When it senses that a user’s hand is in proximity to a virtual wall or other obstacle, the ratchets are engaged in a sequence suited to those virtual objects. The latches disengage when the person withdraws their hand.

More information:

https://www.wevolver.com/article/new.device.simulates.feel.of.walls.solid.objects.in.virtual.reality