Steering wheels for racing games, joysticks to fly airplanes, sensors that simulate impacts, full-scale weapons... the idea of pairing digital experiences with physical objects has been around for a while, but virtual reality has given it a major boost, making room for some very interesting independent projects. One of them is a stationary bike used for short virtual rides, and aside from the bike itself, the most complex part of the project is an Arduino module.
A Homebrew VR Ride
The big players in virtual reality have already been announced. Now it’s about seeing how users respond, and of course, studying what the available software can do. But VR goes far beyond what you can find on store shelves. The technologies are much more open, allowing all kinds of enthusiasts to explore code and hardware alike. Take for example Paul Yan, who decided to combine a Unity-based virtual reality environment with a real stationary bike. What did he use as a bridge? Nothing less than an Arduino module.
In essence, his headset consists of a relatively cheap viewer, an iPhone loaded with the required software, and a cable connecting it to the Arduino, which records the rotations of the rear wheel. The design limitations are fairly obvious, starting with the lack of a handlebar sensor that would let you steer in the virtual environment—though you can’t ask for too much, since it’s a pretty basic resource in Unity (notice that the vehicles in the virtual city don’t move).
Apart from these rough edges, the proof of concept is definitely a success. Yan states on his official page that the total cost of the project was about $40. The page also includes the Arduino code and additional details on preparing the sensor.
