Virtuix Omni Interview with Jan Goetgeluk
Linus Tech Tips
·Linus Tech Tips
·2014-05-07
·
965 words · ~4 min read
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this video is brought to you by the Intel Core i5 4670k unlocked processor
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add an Intel 520 series SSD to your Haswell system for unbelievable overall
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performance the Omni is the first natural interface for movement in
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virtual reality and now we have the Oculus Rift we have the razor Hydra
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great devices that really augment the virtuality experience but next the next
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step is how do you walk around in that virtual world how do you physically move
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in a natural Way Beyond just sitting down and using keyboard and mouse that's
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why we develop the Omni it's an interface that allows you to walk and
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move freely and naturally in your favorite game well I'm a VR Enthusiast
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and I was struggling with that question how do you move around in VR and the
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problem of locomotion which is how do you walk in a confined
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space that's been a problem for the last 20 years people have been trying to
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build treadmills that are 360 Dees and only directional treadmill but nobody's
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been able to to build one that has been affordable to consumers or fits in the
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living room just huge devices out there and academic settings but nothing for
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the consumer and that's what what I wanted to change I wanted to have a device that I could use in my living
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room to just walk around in a virtual world and just get immersed much more
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Beyond sitting down the Omni recognizes
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walking running but also jumping crouching strafing so our software is
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set up to recognize uh basically any move you'd like to do in in a game uh
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and that's what what creates the the freedom and the natural feeling of
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movement in the game when you buy the Omni you get the platform it comes with
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a safety belt as well as with a pair of specialized shoes it also comes with our
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integrated tracking hardware and software right now in the demo we're
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using the connect but we're working on an integrated solution with
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accelerometers so that you don't need a connect uh so that whole package that's
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what you get when you buy the Omni I have a a mechanical engineering
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background I I'm from Belgium originally came to the states for work love the
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states never left I decided to stay here quit my job and then I went to business
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school and then I worked as an investment banker of all professions for
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a couple of years but I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur and I always liked
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virtual reality and gaming so this is what I've always wanted to do so when
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the time was there and you I started focusing on on developing the Omni at
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some point to me it make sense to quit my job do this full-time and i' I I
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jumped into it I I'm going for it I think it's a it's a great advice and
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this is what I wanted to do I want to bring as many omnis as possible to VR
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enthusiast gaming Enthusiast and so forth uh it's it's great that I'm able
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to do this and I'm enjoying it I think what will what the more people start
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using the rift and start experience experimenting and experiencing virtual
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reality uh people will realize that okay
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the rift is great it's a great device but sitting down and having to use a
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Gamepad or a keyboard it breaks the immersion if you want the true virtual
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reality experience you start realizing well I
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want to move naturally I want to move freely I want to move around in in the
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virtual game and in my favorite game and that's why you need the Omni to have
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that extra level of immersion to be freely immersed in the virtual world and
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and walk around and I think the need for that and the desire for that that is
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what will drive people to you know buying an omni and to the extent even in
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in the future I think virtual reality will be the next big thing if it's not
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already getting there right now and people will need a virtuality setup the
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rift the Omni uh some controller whether
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a hyri or or a gun so that whole virtual reality setup I think will have a place
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in many living rooms or game rooms at the virtual reality Community has been
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great uh it's been very has been very instrumental in driving some of the
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recent Innovations in virtual reality such as the rift the Hydra uh the
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community is terrific and our community you know is is also giving me a lot of
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feedback a lot of suggestions uh right now with our
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Kickstarter campaign we hope to to get a help from the community to get fund and
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also get more thoughts and input to really get the Omni through the
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manufacturing stage We Ready our designs are ready we're ready to hit the button
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but we need to start uh tooling tooling engineering and start get the Omni uh
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manufactured and that's why we would like to to get the help from the
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community and and and start this Kickstarter campaign I want to thank the
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community for supporting me and my team it's been a great help in the last
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couple of months uh and I I want to bring the yni to as many people as
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possible so I think with the help of the community I think we're can make this
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happen