Using a Vuzix headset, a laptop, Arduino and a bike sensor, Aki Mimoto was able to rig up his wife’s stationary bike to transport himself through a virtual Google Street View environment.

Of course, that means you wouldn’t have to sit staring at a wall or a TV while exercising — you could virtually travel down roads anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, the design needs some tinkering to be really usable — but it’s a fantastic concept that’s really worth pursuing. If there was a commercial product that got this right, I would probably be all over it. Hit the following link to learn how to do something like this at home. [Bako via Make]

Or maybe, a la the Matrix, we’re all sitting in big fluffy white virtual reality marshmallow chairs right now.

You see, this… thing is a “media vehicle” that uses a projector and a spherical internal screen to surround the occupant with imagery and sound. The five wheels move the user about in real and virtual space. Small framed people only, however, as CrunchGear writer Serkan Toto said he was too large to take it for a spin. [CrunchGear]

The sidewalk in front of the store has been fitted with small infrared lights, and the installation with infrared cameras; this is how Sniff, an art project designed by Karolina Sobecka and Jim George, knows where its audience is, and can anticipate which direction they’re moving.

Some might see a playful interactive exhibit here, but I see something more insidious. Walking by confused, platter-eyed puppies every once in a while is a part of city life; each time you do it, you make an easy—but still present—decision not to buy that dog that evidently loves you more than anything, for some reason. With Sniff, you don’t have a choice: he seems to like you, but you physically can’t take him home; likewise, there no risk that your walk-by buddy is going to get incinerated at a shelter, because he isn’t real. Technology, you’ve stolen the richness from our relationships to dogs that aren’t ours. Thanks. [Sniff via Urlesque via Neatorama]

Using prerendered chunks of track and a digital ruler, you can shape the path of their virtual roller coaster, bobsled track or jet flight. (Should you draw something that’s impossible to perform, the system will guide and correct you.)

As for the simulation itself, your fate is in the hands of an industrial robot arm from Kuka Robotics, like you’ve seen in car plants. We can only assume that the robot shakes you at high velocities until you feel dizzy or sick, all while fans occasionally blow air at your face to simulate velocity.

Several years back, I tested a similar build-your-own coaster ride at DisneyQuest. Some effects were actually pretty wonderful, but the customisation was fairly limited and the simulators were far more typical. Knowing my well-being is in the grasp of a robot that could literally destroy me makes the whole prospect a lot more exciting. [CNN]

Virtual reality researcher Hiroo Iwata has developed cubes that utilise a pressure-sensitive fabric and ultrasonic sensors to predict movement, analyse positions and shuffle accordingly. Essentially, this creates an “infinite” walkway.

As you can see in the video, the walking pace is a little on the slow side, but Iwata believes that refinement of the technology could lead to more realistic virtual simulations. Throw some lights in there and I smell an awesome redux of Billie Jean for the 21st century. [Technabob via Popular Science]

The premise of a realistic hologram is no longer so far-fetched, but what about actually touching the thing? Researchers from The University of Tokyo may have found a way.

The clip explains things better than we can, but researchers have essentially combined motion tracking, like you see in the Wii, with holograms, like you see on CNN, with ultrasonic waves, like we’ve seen before but can’t really be seen.

Basically, these waves can pinpoint locations with incredible precision, and they’re flexible enough to simulate varying textures. So you could interact with a virtual object that you could actually feel, a major hurdle in creating the fabled Holodeck (you know we couldn’t get through this entire post without making the comparison).

Things are finally getting interesting, folks. [via CrunchGear]

Given the oft-hilarious Russian inventors, their equally staid and awkward American partner and the fact that this is on Vice Magazine’s video site, a part of me thinks this might be a joke, but it actually looks like they’ve gotten the thing to work. It’s essentially one of those giant American Gladiator balls, but placed on a stand equipped with wheels, so whoever’s inside can run in any direction. The users are equipped with goggles and what looks like a plastic laser gun for the first-person shooter demo, and the game picks up movement pretty nicely. We imagine it’d be tougher than they think to change direction on a dime, and of course not that many people have room for a 10-foot metal ball in their family room, but it’s worth a look. Best line: “It really is a locomotion simulator. And just to define locomotion, it doesn’t have anything to do with trains [dude does his best to hold back a vigorous guffaw at this pun] but with the movement of people.” [VBS.tv]

As part of a 260-specimen dinosaur exhibit in Chiba, Japan, visitors will be able to see moving, life-sized dinosaurs right on the museum floor.

Running from July through September, the “Dinosaurs over time!” exhibit uses Canon video scopes to offer a “site-wide view” of 3D CG dinosaurs. Useful for both enhancing the museum-going experience and scaring children away from learning, the result is a “mixed reality” experience (also known as augmented reality), in which the analogue and digital worlds combine to begin man’s inevitable fall into the purely digital realm.

Sounds fun, but when Japan falls to a giant reptilian beast, I’m gonna be the first to say I told you so. [Museum and Canon via DVICE]

After one day of shooting, World Builder was in post production for 2 years. Despite its extremely small artistic team (essentially one guy), the first half of the piece deploys some really believable visual effects to establish a sort of virtual reality version of Illustrator or Maya.

The clip, be it a tad long for internet perusal, is a real pleasure to watch. Load it up when you have a few minutes to dedicate to your imagination. [Thanks Helen!]