Is Natural Walking In VR Games Possible? Testing Out The AgileVR Exoskeleton

Channel:

vrgamerdude

Subscribers:

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Published on March 19, 2020 5:04:33 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU0g6f1dA0U

Game:

Natural Locomotion (2018)

Duration: 14:10

9,413 views

122

Ever since I started exploring virtual worlds over 20 years ago there has always been one issue that has been tough to solve and that is how can I achieve locomotion in VR that feels natural? How can I actually walk through these virtual worlds? Over the years there have been many attempts to solve this problem with most being large bulky omni-directional treadmills and one that I can remember that was actually a human sized hamster ball! Sadly, so far none of them have been an adequate replacement for actual walking while in VR... Well, flash forward a few years and we are now seeing a new approach starting to emerge that also claims to have solved the VR locomotion problem.

This new attempt involves having users wear sensors that are normally used for MOCAP but instead are now having that motion capture translated into game movements. The first offering of this new generation of VR motion devices that caught my eye was the AgileVR system from Mechatech LTD. I want to thank the Mechatech team very much for sending me an AgileVR unit to evaluate and also for all of their assistance during the setup and testing process!

The out of box setup was pretty simple but where things got difficult was when it was time for calibration. As you will see in the video there are several different sensor settings that need to be dialed in for each users individual walking style. This process took me several days to get set correctly and even then I never really felt like the walking was 1:1.

Now... in no way is Mechatech advertising the AgileVR as a cure for VR sickness, but in the intro of the video I talked a lot about hoping this new tech might also be a device that could help people who suffer from artificial locomotion induced VR sickness this was just a theory I had based on the body movements matching the visuals but unfortunately I can't really say if it would since each person is different when it comes to VR sickness thresholds. I can say that for me it had a slightly opposite effect though.

Something about the disconnect between the walking speed and the actual movement of my legs coupled with the fact that the software would randomly jerk me backwards actually got me feeling dizzy. As a person who has been testing VR for a long time this never happens to me so I can't imagine this helping anyone to actually solve the VR sickness issue.

So overall I would have to say that the AgileVR is a cool new approach to VR locomotion but unfortunately due to the software setup and lack of a 1:1 feeling of walking I can't recommend it at this time. I do feel that the hardware is good, but the software and user experience still needs a lot of work before I could recommend you to shell out the high asking price. I still see a lot of potential in this device though and will for sure be watching for future software updates.

Another thing to be on the lookout for according to Jack Murphy, Lead Engineer at Mechatech is that they are looking to launch a new wireless and more cost effective version of AgileVR on Kickstarter soon! this is exciting... especially the wireless part so stay tuned to my social feeds for more news on this when it becomes available!

If you want to learn more about the Agile VR system or to purchase one for yourself:

https://www.mechatech.co.uk/agilevr



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Hardware used on this channel:

PC Specs:
I7 7700K
GTX 1080ti
16GB 3200mhz Ripjaws
MSI Z270 Gaming M7

Headsets:
Oculus Rift
Oculus Rift S
Oculus Quest
HTC Vive
HTC Vive Cosmos
Samsung Odyssey+
HP Reverb
Pimax 5K+
Pimax 8KX

Recording Equipment:

Logitech G920 Webcam
https://www.logitech.com/en-hk/product/hd-pro-webcam-c920

Antlion Audio Wireless ModMic
https://antlionaudio.com/

Comica Wireless Lapel Mic
https://www.amazon.com/stores/node/17443650011?_encoding=UTF8&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Viewflex&ref_=bl_dp_s_web_17443650011
DJI Osmo mobile

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