Previously deployed for military purposes, a new commercial version of the Omnideck from the Swedish company Omnifinity has been installed at the Transport Systems Catapult's (TSC) Innovation Centre in Milton Keynes.
Part of the centre's 'Visualisation laboratory' it is the UK's first commercially available omnidirectional treadmill that features a 'virtual reality' rendering of Milton Keynes, built by local firm Virtual Viewing.
The Omnideck is a 360° treadmill that has been hooked up to a VR headset and tracker system, allowing individuals to move around a virtual environment.
The omnidirectional treadmills are able to track an individual's movement and how far they travel and as a result can determine how fast the individual on screen is moving. The system uses a series of 16 motorised triangular sections of rollers with an underlying belt that moves along with the user. According to the company this will guarantee that the user will not walk right off the treadmill and that the system can accurately track movements up to 4.5mph
The TSC says that the technology will enable engineers and designers to test the impact of new transport services and technological innovations without the risks and costs of physical implementation.
"The Omnideck Treadmill and virtual reality equipment we have installed are totally unique in the UK and will allow businesses to experiment, develop and demonstrate new technologies," said Graham Fletcher, Modelling and Visualisation Director at TSC. "One possible use is the testing of driverless cars. We will be able to conduct user trials in a virtual environment and we have already had interest from major manufacturers in testing their vehicles in this way before implementation on UK roads."
Omnifinity was formed by MSE Engineer, a firm known mostly for combat simulation products, and the Omnideck was originally developed to address the market for immersive gaming, specifically using the Oculus Rift, the virtual reality headset.
Author
Neil Tyler
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk