Brilliant Sole: soles to feel the ground and walk in the RV

Summary

• Brilliant Sole: soles equipped with inertia units and haptic motors

Until now, in most VR games, free movement is done using a joystick or a touchpad in the same way as in a classic video game. Unfortunately, this system alleviates the feeling of immersion and can also cause a feeling of nausea. To remedy this problem, the startup Brilliant Sole had the original idea of ​​integrating controllers into shoe soles.

The sole includes a IMU inertial power plant, two haptic motors, and a wireless Qi charger. In addition, the accessory allows you to emulate the button presses of 6DOF motion-sensing controllers such as the Oculus Touch or the Vive Wand.

What is the interest of such a device? Well, the Brilliant Sole allows you to play sitting or standing while keeping your hands free. In addition, the internal sensors are also able to measure the force of the feet thanks to specific pressure points for allow the user to walk in place to move around intuitively in the direction of his wish.

Brilliant Sole: soles equipped with inertia units and haptic motors

Haptic engines, on the other hand, allow the user to "Feel" the virtual world that he treads with his feet. Thanks to position tracking, the user will even be able to see their feet in the VR.

Several companies have created or imagined similar solutions to address the problem of travel in virtual reality. We can notably mention the Cybershoes which allow you to walk in the RV without a treadmill. Likewise, Google has filed a patent for roller shoes that automatically bring the user back to the center of their play space.

However, the Brilliant Sole seems much more complete and versatile than these different solutions due to its multiple features. However, the startup will have to achieve its crowdfunding objective, whose campaign will be launched in early 2019.