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VR Treadmill Makes Running Indoors Feel Like Running Outdoors
Posted by Adam Frucci at 8:20 AM on July 29, 2008
This extremely fancy treadmill puts in a whole lot of effort to make you feel like you're running outside when you, in actuality, aren't. While it'd be easy to cynically joke about how people hate the sun so much that they're devising ways to pretend to run outside, this is clearly designed for physical therapy in hospitals. But really, what makes me interested in it is the potential to put something completely different up on that screen. Like a video game.
Why not allow people to jog through, say, the underwater city of Rapture from BioShock? Sure, a country dirt road in the summertime might be nice, but when you can put anything at all up there you might as well think outside the box. And if you can make running on a treadmill feel like a video game, maybe, just maybe you'll be able to get a whole new group of people into exercising. And that wouldn't be something even the biggest cynics could make fun of. Much. [New Launches via Ubergizmos]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
jarque
Posted 8:55 AM 29/7/08
I think this is China's backup plan for when they can't curb pollution enough to keep the Olympic Athletes from keeling over. The first VR Olympics, what a milestone! /sarcasm
jarque
Eric Tolle
Posted 8:52 AM 29/7/08
Why would they need a VR display for joggers? Based on the joggers I've seen and nearly hit with my car, they don't pay attention to their surroundings at all.
Eric Tolle
SuperCollider
Posted 8:50 AM 29/7/08
@tucker: Oh, yeah. Suuuuuuure.
@rer89: Because you don't *need* to physically run in video games. If there were a game that required you to, nobody would play.
SuperCollider
unibrow4o9
Posted 8:42 AM 29/7/08
You know what else is just like running outside?
Running outside!
unibrow4o9
rer89
Posted 8:42 AM 29/7/08
why do we have to use this for something lame like running when we can using this for videogames???
rer89
Carmen turns 19 tomorrow!!!
Posted 8:30 AM 29/7/08
@LastAndLeast: Damn straight
Carmen turns 19 tomorrow!!!
LastAndLeast
Posted 8:29 AM 29/7/08
@Carmen turns 19 tomorrow!!!: I suppose no one ever said hospitals had to follow the Geneva conventions...
LastAndLeast
tucker
Posted 8:28 AM 29/7/08
seriously, if this could play WOW, and you had to actually use your legs to run everywhere, that would be awesome.
tucker
Carmen turns 19 tomorrow!!!
Posted 8:24 AM 29/7/08
I got a better plan for hospitals.
Put the patients in a van, drive em to the local freeway and threaten that if they don't run their asses back to the hospital in ONE HOUR, they are going to be found and brutally beat up by the nurses.
Carmen turns 19 tomorrow!!!
Charging_Mooses
Posted 9:12 AM 29/7/08
@MadeYahLook: that sounds dangerous
Charging_Mooses
MadeYahLook
Posted 9:08 AM 29/7/08
To hell with this, I want a helmet that makes me think I'm running inside while I'm running around outside.
MadeYahLook
Dillenger69
Posted 9:07 AM 29/7/08
I'd love a screen like that for home, especially with head tracking to aim.
The treadmill part would be ok ... but I could probably do without it since you do more than just go forward.
Dillenger69
Griffehpoo
Posted 9:03 AM 29/7/08
But how will they ever simulate cleaning the dog crap off your shoes after running through your neighbor's minefield?
Griffehpoo
altus
Posted 9:21 AM 29/7/08
Don't you think that there is a market for games that take it one step further than Wii... Run, jump, fight. Very cool. You could have multiple interfaces.
altus
whiteknight
Posted 9:53 AM 29/7/08
So er....what's wrong with running outside? See I have an excuse, I live in central Arizona where the sidewalk reaches 125 F in the day. I'd use it, assuming someone would buy it for me!
whiteknight
WMyers
Posted 10:23 AM 29/7/08
So is the cost and/or processing power required to run 3 projectors with fisheye'd video really less than running a VR helmet with axis tracking?
WMyers
UniComp
Posted 10:45 AM 29/7/08
I can't wait for the yard work simulator.
UniComp
Theophilus P. Wildebeeste
Posted 10:41 AM 29/7/08
Coming soon: VR treadmill UK.
Oh wait, That's just the stock VR Treadmill placed in the shower.
Theophilus P. Wildebeeste
buttrockz
Posted 11:49 AM 29/7/08
Perfect for that house arrest/shut-in niche market everyone seems to have forgotten about...
oh wait.
buttrockz
mpar
Posted 1:50 PM 29/7/08
Nice, I wonder if the technology its going to reach the futuristic goal of making running outside fells like running inside
mpar
Ethan Halko!
Posted 4:42 PM 29/7/08
@whiteknight: 4ft. of snow outside..
Ethan Halko!
trialhero
Posted 12:28 AM 30/7/08
Balance Board + Wiimote = Running & Swinging Zelda = Potentially Slimmer Zelda Fans
trialhero
ddaq89
Posted 1:11 AM 30/7/08
Three words: Grand. Theft. Auto.
ddaq89
RubyBabaloo
Posted 3:57 AM 30/7/08
Gee, I don't get the wrap around screen thing. I'd rather see a company come up with a really good pair of VR goggles/glasses instead.
RubyBabaloo
SuperCollider
Posted 12:41 PM 30/7/08
@ddaq89: Good point. The controls certainly couldn't be any worse than they already are.
SuperCollider
rndmx
Posted 6:13 AM 31/7/08
Call of Duty - Awesome.
rndmx