Seeing a smart cat walk on a treadmill to its plate of food tickles me more than it should. I scream out aww under my constant laughter. I must be a bad person. But let’s be honest. Metaphorically, we’ve all been this cat before. We’ve seen our goal but we kept walking in place not knowing how to get there. Literally though, we should put a treadmill before every fast food restaurant so it’d motivate us all to be a little more healthy like this cat.
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There’s nothing sadder than a fat dog. It’s bad enough that we American’s need to stuff our faces until we all look like Baron Vladimir Harkonnen from Dune, but it’s even worse that we fatten our animals too. This dog treadmill will help you keep your dog from being a big slob, while you sit by and watch while snacking on your Cheetos.
It is specially designed for canines to get the exercise they need at a comfortable pace. Get your dog in shape even if you have a busy schedule. This piece of doggy exercise equipment is only $1,159.97(USD) from Amazon.
Dogs were not meant to be fat, so it’s time to liberate your lab from the lard.
[via This Is Why I’m broke]
When the Omni VR treadmill was announced, many anointed it as the perfect companion to the much-awaited Oculus Rift. But a group of students at the Vienna University of Technology may have a better VR treadmill at their hands (and feet). They call it the Cyberith Virtualizer.
Much like the Omni VR, the Virtualizer is an omnidirectional motion sensor. It allows the user to walk or run in any direction, as well as jump, crouch and strafe. However, unlike the Omni VR, the Virtualizer also lets the user play while sitting. Another big difference is that its walking surface is flat, makes no sound and only requires that the user wear socks. The Omni VR on the other hand requires users to wear a custom pair of low friction shoes and it makes a considerable amount of noise when used. The video below shows Cyberith founder Tuncay Cakmak play a modified version of Grand Theft Auto IV using the Virtualizer, a Wiimote and of course an Oculus Rift headset.
I’d still rather have wearable motion sensors if I’m ever going to play a VR game, but I think the Virtualizer has great potential. Hopefully someday all of its electronics can be embedded in a less conspicuous form.
[Cyberith via Reddit & Oculus Rift]
Many people read while they’re using exercise machines, but we don’t envy them; it’s not easy to concentrate on a novel when running. Weartrons may help those athletic readers maintain their focus with its upcoming Run-n-Read peripheral. The clip-on device detects its wearer’s movements and compensates for them on a host Android or iOS device, keeping e-book text steady in the midst of a treadmill run. Owners can also tap the Run-n-Read to turn pages, and the gadget doubles as a pedometer in between reading sessions. Weartrons is starting a crowdfunding campaign for the Run-n-Read today, and is asking gym rats to pledge a nominal $55 to get a device of their own. If all goes smoothly, the company should deliver its first units no later than January.
Filed under: Wearables
Source: Weartrons, Dragon Innovation
Good news for everyone who’s been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to run in place. A fortnight after closing the door on a successful Kickstarter campaign, Virtuix is ready to open up Omni pre-orders. $500 will get you the massive Oculus Rift add-on, a price that includes the treadmill, a harness, those special shoes and the necessary tracking hardware and software. That price, however, doesn’t include a Rift, shipping or Gatorade. Still, for a limited time, entering the “VR50” coupon code at checkout will get you $50 off.
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Virtuix
Remember that gaming treadmill that we sweated all over during E3 last month? Virtuix’s Kickstarted Omni is still firmly in the prototype stage, but that’s not stopping the company from putting the gigantic peripheral through its special-shoe-requiring paces. CEO Jan Goetgeluk headed to the machine shop where the first Omni was built to demo some multiplayer gaming. And what better title to try things out than with a little Minecraft? If the below video is any indication, things went relatively smoothly. Says the exec, “even though the Minecraft graphics seem unsuited for VR, the game is actually a blast with Rift and Omni.” Who needs the gym?
Filed under: Gaming
I’m a little nauseous and a bit sweaty. This was my first time using the Oculus Rift. It’s the sort of thing you’ve got to ease into, really — sitting stationary, letting your brain adjust to the whole experience. Or you could just pop the thing on and run in place on a treadmill in a downtown Los Angeles hotel suite. Your call, really. Just don’t come crying to me when you’re having a bit of trouble standing up straight, as you attempt to step down from the slippery surface at the end of your session. Have I seen the future? Hard to say, of course, but whatever it was that just happened was neat — and if you were one of the 2,000 or so folks who got in on Virtuix’s Kickstarter, it’ll be heading your way in January.
The company’s CEO, Jan Goetgeluk took me through the paces of the system, a stationary design he settled on after toying around with a more traditional treadmill model. The Omni is really quite a simple thing at its heart, a concave, slick surface attached to two bars that converge in a circle. The company’s designed special soles, as well — plastic pieces raised at the heel and ball of the foot, with a fabric friction surface on the toe. Walk around and your feet slip. That’s about it, really. Of course, it takes some getting used to, and Goetgeluk stood aside as I learned to walk again: lean forward, step down on the heel and let the rest of your foot slide with it. It took a few minutes, and I’m still not exactly an expert
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
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If the unison of Virtuix’s Omni Treadmill and Oculus Rift got your left thumb hungry for a well deserved retirement, then it’ll also want to push you in the direction of the game controller’s official Kickstarter. Yup, for just $249 (if you get in there quick enough), you can snag yourself an Omni in DIY kit form plus on set of shoes (additional pairs costing $49). Those with deeper pockets can opt to get the full kit (including belt, tracking hardware and software) from $399, or go all out and get the Omni Rack (for holding your Rift control box, favorite beverage etc) and some exclusive merch on top for $539. Really dig this thing? Then why not lay down $7,999 for a custom design made from wood and steel? Those of you who are still undecided can delve into the project a little further (at the source), but it seems likely that the final retail price could be somewhat higher than that offered to Kickstarter backers so, you know, you might not want to hang around too long.
Filed under: Gaming
Via: Road to VR
Source: Kickstarter
Sure, your pet hamster’s amazing leg strength may someday power a house, but can it beat you in a race? A pair of Chicago-based artists might be able to help you solve this mystery. The duo recently hooked up a homemade tachometer to a hamster’s exercise wheel and mapped the data to a treadmill’s motor. The fur ball’s RPMs are transferred in real time, which gives it the ability to control its bipedal competitor’s running speeds. The team cautions that no animals were harmed during this experiment, however a human ego may have been bruised after trying to keep up with a tireless rodent.
Source: Daniel Jay Bertner (Blog)
I’m sure many of you still dream about owning the so-called “Ultimate FPS Simulator.” If you can wait for a few more months, you just might have one in your home, albeit at a smaller scale. A company called Virtuix is currently working on Omni, an omnidirectional treadmill controller for virtual environments.
The Omni can sense not only when you’re running or walking but also when you’re jumping. It can also emulate crouching movements by bending over. The Omni will supposedly work with all PC games when it’s released, which is certainly a neat plus. Here’s a quick video showing how one moves about on the Omni:
Here’s the Omni being used with Skyrim, with the help of a Kinect for head targeting:
Finally, here’s the Omni with the year’s most anticipated gaming product, the Oculus Rift, comboing to present a new way to play Team Fortress 2:
You can see a couple more videos of the Omni in action on YouTube.
Keep in mind that the Omni isn’t a mechanical treadmill – it’s a passive walking surface on which you wear a pair of special low-friction shoes to walk. The waist support in the middle is designed to keep you from falling over, of course. You can read more about how it works over on their FAQ.
Virtuix is planning to launch a Kickstarter fundraiser later this May or June. The retail price for the Omni may be between $400 to $600 (USD), which isn’t surprising considering what it can do. Mirror’s Edge is about to become a fitness video.
[via The Verge]
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