Al: can you add auto return program (return to home, should say "original starting position of shoe"). based on speed movement "Strafe," Str., Or Vector moves: use out movement only (copy / record/ reference) inputting speed/accel ? Maybe 1.5X return speed to aid movement / return to "original starting position of shoe." Then Shoe automatically returns and helps the user??..................For your next idea too? Aid to help elderly people move and robotic skeleton for heavy lifting. That's my Boy! Keep up the good work so I can retire early................................
Thanks Dad. Part of the algorithm for strafing will record the distance the shoe travels, then use it as a maximum distance for returning. You can read how the whole algorithm will work here: evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#return-to-center-algorithm
Very good idea.. finally it needs to be smaller , lighter , less noisyer.. but i think this is a very very good and most important alpha working concept. Go on ! Good luck.. you should perhaps do a Kickstarter for more options in research??? Nice really Nice!!!
Thanks. I'm going to try to make improvements like that. For a kickstarter, we'll see. I'd rather wait until I have something I could sell, sell it to a few people, and see how they last over the next few months. I think a kickstarter would go much better if I do that, because it proves that the shoes work, last, others have liked it, and that I'm capable of making and selling them at a small scale.
Congratulations on all your hard work. These are pretty amazing. It always gives me great pleasure to see an individual doing things that huge companies seem unable to accomplish. I hope you see big rewards for your creativity but even if it goes nowhere you should be very proud. If I was going to contribute I would suggest looking at bicycle clip in pedals as a possible option for using these. I mean the pro units that require custom shoes. Just a thought.
Thank you. With hobby-level 3D printing, CNCing, and electronics becoming more and more accessible it's becoming easier for individuals to do things that only companies could before. And yeah even if this project doesn't work out I learned a ton that I can apply to other projects. One of the main reasons I'm working on this project is just for the engineering challenge and learning opportunity it provides. I actually have clip ins on my bike and wear those special shoes. They're awesome and I can get a lot more power when I'm biking. I have thought of doing something similar but I wanted to first try a solution that would be the most convenient for everyone. So I'm starting with a strap to goes around a regular shoe. Later I (or someone else) can design other bindings, like one that uses a clip in mechanism, or one that is more like a snowboard binding or boot. Thanks for your suggestion and kind words.
Looks extremely interesting! I love that people like you can do something like this! I saw you on virtual dreamers video so I decided to check it out and I was not disappointed! Omega good job!
Thanks. I think I need to get further along before I try to crowd fund. If I take that step, it'll be a huge life change, and I quite enjoy my life as it is now, so everything has to be right for me to want to take that leap. If you want more details as to when I might launch a campaign, see here: evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#business-plan
Very nice idea! I'll say give it a few years and everyone will be able to get it in a store! Have you thought of Mecanum Wheels or balls as wheels like the old computer mouses? What about a gyroscope? And would an AI program that learns from your sensor data speed the reaction up, since it learns how you going to move?
Thanks. Yes, I've thought of Mecanum wheels. You can find the details here: evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#mecanum-wheels For balls like a computer mouse, yes I've thought about that too. I've actually used ball transfers in previous prototypes. I don't like them though because they're really loud and can't be motorized. What would a gyroscope do? They're already large and low enough to the ground so that they don't want to tip. Their pretty balanced. You could use some sort of AI to tune the shoes to a specific user. You can read about the algorithm I'm going to use here. I mention at the end my ideas on using sensor data to calibrate the shoes to specific users. evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#return-to-center-algorithm
This is amazing. Found you through imgur after seeing a google patent for something similar in my search for something like this and contemplating doing my own build of something like this. Long story short, I was curious if you sell these privately, and how much something like this would go for (even if it is still a prototype).
Thanks. I have cost info and details on selling them in the blog post below, and pretty much anything else you might want to know about them. If you have any other questions let me know. evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/
Could you put a vive tracker on the shoe mount to get position of the shoes, and direction heading of the foot? (The tilt as the shoe changes position). Then, because you know where the shoes are you could path the motors back to a user defined center using the Vive tracking. This would even tell you what foot was lifting for side stepping so you could activate the motor! And lock the other one Oh and the bindings looked like it was an issue with the bearing area? Like it's not 100% flush. Couldn't tell from the video, I'd assume you would have seen it if it was what im describing (in regards to the bindings wobble of the rotation of foot)
I haven't considered using the vive trackers. I want something that will work with all headsets. I'm planning on using accelerometers, encoders, and sensors on the top of the platform to automate the shoes. If you're interested, I explain the algorithm I'm going to use here. evansalex.com/2019/11/25/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games/ Skip to the Safety Harness Sensor and Return to Center Algorithm sections. There's one small detail I need to add for strafing, but those sections pretty much cover what I'm thinking. Near the end of the video I talk about how I can still wobble my foot in the binding, which is something I'm going to work on. With rotating my foot, yeah the shoe wobbled a little bit. The rods that the binding runs along are a bit too tall I think. The taller they are, the more likely the shoes will wobble when rotating.
@@finallyfunctional I'll read and reply when able. I find this method of locomotion intriguing as in my mind I wouldn't think it to work as well as it does in your video. In reference to the wobble, I think the problem is the tolerance is too wide and therefore the wobble occurs due to the single poi t of contact. Something like a larger surface area near the binding on both sides and titer tolerances might solve the problem. but I can't tell exactly how you have the binding attached to the vertical bars so I'm not sure. You probably know better than me having built the shoe.
Thanks. I'm not selling them yet, but I can look into selling them internationally. Or I probably wouldn't mind if someone who lives in Australia who has 3D printers also makes them and sells them locally. Then you can avoid import fees. Yes I can feel the weight of the shoes, but it's not that bad. It feels like walking with boots on. Each shoe is about 10 pounds, but remember you don't lift the shoes off the ground. They roll along the ground on wheels, so they don't feel anywhere near 10 pounds. Again, more like regular boots.
I go into some detail about the cost here: evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#cost So I'm not exactly sure yet. I'm not focusing on the cost of this yet, just trying to get a functional design first. I also have ideas for other versions of the shoes that could be cheaper, but have some nice-to-have features stripped out. I'm hoping to have different versions with prices ranging from $300 to maybe $900, but don't quote me.
something i couldn't help but think of is with how you have the pole connected to your feet couldn't in theory at a later stage you use that to help simulate climbing up stairs?
Hmmmm I never thought of that. You'd need some way to raise the part of the platform under the user's foot up too, but I think in theory it could work. Great idea!
@@finallyfunctional iv always figured that eventually we would have shoes like this glad its happening quite fast compared to what i imagined its pace would be i always figured the motors wouldn't be strong enough speaking of which out of curiosity do you know what weight the shoes could support up to before not working?
Yeah 3D printing has really made it much easier for individuals to rapidly create a prototype. If companies aren't fast enough or aren't working on something, we can take matters into our own hands. I'm using motors and ESCs designed for electric skateboards, so they're really powerful. Electric skateboards normally can go at least 15 mph, but the VR shoes don't need anything close to that. Plus, I have gearing similar to what you would use on a skateboard (2:25:1), and I'm using smaller wheels, so less torque. Given all that, the shoes could probably handle a heavy user, maybe 250 pounds, maybe more? Don't quote me, I'll need to do testing to make sure. That being said, those motors and ESCs are really expensive. $50 per motor, $65 per ESC. Each shoe has 2 motors and 2 ESCs, so 4 of each in total. That's already $460. So I want to have different versions of the shoes. A heavier user might need those motors and ESCs, but I probably don't, and my wife sure as hell wouldn't. Another version of the shoes can have less powerful ESCs and motor and be a lot cheaper. I'm just using the expensive stuff now for the prototype because while I design these I don't want to have to worry about power.
@@finallyfunctional two more things one im not a engineer or anywhere close so i don't know if you can track this at this stage but do you know how much power it takes atm compared to other things like say the vr controllers? and last do you think they would work on carpet?
@@Xalphoria I've written out detailed answers to those questions here: evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#power-consumption evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#carpet
Yes I've tried several. Here are a few I've tried. imgur.com/gallery/XNKevX2 - 1 imgur.com/a/qtOh0Cw - 2 imgur.com/a/Ftvs6vS - 3 I think the ones in #3 could work well, but then I discovered the Rotacaster wheels that I bought and they work really well, so I stopped trying to make my own. Maybe one day I'll go back and make some videos on just omni wheels.
Nice! I was worried for a moment, because I saw a year back Google filed a patent for this exact idea. I just read on your site that it would not apply to this project. Thankfully you're doing an open source project, that will broaden up the community around this. I might try to help out myself too maybe :) I also worked on a solution for the locomotion problem, but was thinking of a way larger solution with an exoskeleton that is hung stationary. Kind of like AxonVR made. I have done some work on it, but nowhere near the levels you went to. I really respect your determination! Amazing work!
i see potential here.... but its gonna be a few generations before it reaches it. Subscribed.
We will watch you career with great interest.
Great idea can't wait to see future improvements.
not gonna lie I want to see these used to drive you around
This proves the idea can work. If you keep at it, it's only a matter of time until an automated and consumer usable product can be made!
Exactly. This was a quick test to see if it's worth it to keep going.
This is amazing, i srsly had the same idea but i m so happy someone is making it espicially it looks amazing
This seems like it could be a very good product in the future
Al: can you add auto return program (return to home, should say "original starting position of shoe"). based on speed movement "Strafe," Str., Or Vector moves: use out movement only
(copy / record/ reference) inputting speed/accel ? Maybe 1.5X return speed to aid movement / return to "original starting position of shoe." Then Shoe automatically returns and helps the user??..................For your next idea too? Aid to help elderly people move and robotic skeleton for heavy lifting.
That's my Boy! Keep up the good work so I can retire early................................
Thanks Dad. Part of the algorithm for strafing will record the distance the shoe travels, then use it as a maximum distance for returning. You can read how the whole algorithm will work here:
evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#return-to-center-algorithm
Very cool, excited to see where this goes.
Very good idea.. finally it needs to be smaller , lighter , less noisyer.. but i think this is a very very good and most important alpha working concept. Go on ! Good luck.. you should perhaps do a Kickstarter for more options in research??? Nice really Nice!!!
Thanks. I'm going to try to make improvements like that. For a kickstarter, we'll see. I'd rather wait until I have something I could sell, sell it to a few people, and see how they last over the next few months. I think a kickstarter would go much better if I do that, because it proves that the shoes work, last, others have liked it, and that I'm capable of making and selling them at a small scale.
Congratulations on all your hard work. These are pretty amazing. It always gives me great pleasure to see an individual doing things that huge companies seem unable to accomplish. I hope you see big rewards for your creativity but even if it goes nowhere you should be very proud. If I was going to contribute I would suggest looking at bicycle clip in pedals as a possible option for using these. I mean the pro units that require custom shoes. Just a thought.
Thank you. With hobby-level 3D printing, CNCing, and electronics becoming more and more accessible it's becoming easier for individuals to do things that only companies could before. And yeah even if this project doesn't work out I learned a ton that I can apply to other projects. One of the main reasons I'm working on this project is just for the engineering challenge and learning opportunity it provides.
I actually have clip ins on my bike and wear those special shoes. They're awesome and I can get a lot more power when I'm biking. I have thought of doing something similar but I wanted to first try a solution that would be the most convenient for everyone. So I'm starting with a strap to goes around a regular shoe. Later I (or someone else) can design other bindings, like one that uses a clip in mechanism, or one that is more like a snowboard binding or boot. Thanks for your suggestion and kind words.
We watch your idea with great interest
This is really cool. I see the potential here.
Looks extremely interesting! I love that people like you can do something like this! I saw you on virtual dreamers video so I decided to check it out and I was not disappointed! Omega good job!
I'm pretty stoked to see how far you get with this, will chip in a few bucks pretty soon to hopefully offset some of the dev cost
Thank you!
Here from Virtual Dreamers channel. I’m interested to see what happens, subscribed
Please just make a kick starter for this, much love man
Thanks. I think I need to get further along before I try to crowd fund. If I take that step, it'll be a huge life change, and I quite enjoy my life as it is now, so everything has to be right for me to want to take that leap. If you want more details as to when I might launch a campaign, see here: evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#business-plan
super cool stuff!
Very nice idea!
I'll say give it a few years and everyone will be able to get it in a store!
Have you thought of Mecanum Wheels or balls as wheels like the old computer mouses?
What about a gyroscope?
And would an AI program that learns from your sensor data speed the reaction up, since it learns how you going to move?
Thanks. Yes, I've thought of Mecanum wheels. You can find the details here:
evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#mecanum-wheels
For balls like a computer mouse, yes I've thought about that too. I've actually used ball transfers in previous prototypes. I don't like them though because they're really loud and can't be motorized.
What would a gyroscope do? They're already large and low enough to the ground so that they don't want to tip. Their pretty balanced.
You could use some sort of AI to tune the shoes to a specific user. You can read about the algorithm I'm going to use here. I mention at the end my ideas on using sensor data to calibrate the shoes to specific users.
evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#return-to-center-algorithm
Very nice work !!
This is amazing. Found you through imgur after seeing a google patent for something similar in my search for something like this and contemplating doing my own build of something like this. Long story short, I was curious if you sell these privately, and how much something like this would go for (even if it is still a prototype).
Thanks. I have cost info and details on selling them in the blog post below, and pretty much anything else you might want to know about them. If you have any other questions let me know.
evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/
Could you put a vive tracker on the shoe mount to get position of the shoes, and direction heading of the foot? (The tilt as the shoe changes position). Then, because you know where the shoes are you could path the motors back to a user defined center using the Vive tracking. This would even tell you what foot was lifting for side stepping so you could activate the motor! And lock the other one
Oh and the bindings looked like it was an issue with the bearing area? Like it's not 100% flush. Couldn't tell from the video, I'd assume you would have seen it if it was what im describing (in regards to the bindings wobble of the rotation of foot)
I haven't considered using the vive trackers. I want something that will work with all headsets. I'm planning on using accelerometers, encoders, and sensors on the top of the platform to automate the shoes. If you're interested, I explain the algorithm I'm going to use here.
evansalex.com/2019/11/25/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games/
Skip to the Safety Harness Sensor and Return to Center Algorithm sections. There's one small detail I need to add for strafing, but those sections pretty much cover what I'm thinking.
Near the end of the video I talk about how I can still wobble my foot in the binding, which is something I'm going to work on. With rotating my foot, yeah the shoe wobbled a little bit. The rods that the binding runs along are a bit too tall I think. The taller they are, the more likely the shoes will wobble when rotating.
@@finallyfunctional I'll read and reply when able. I find this method of locomotion intriguing as in my mind I wouldn't think it to work as well as it does in your video. In reference to the wobble, I think the problem is the tolerance is too wide and therefore the wobble occurs due to the single poi t of contact. Something like a larger surface area near the binding on both sides and titer tolerances might solve the problem. but I can't tell exactly how you have the binding attached to the vertical bars so I'm not sure. You probably know better than me having built the shoe.
this is wild
Nice!
This looks very promising, do they ship to Australia? I’d buy some! Can you feel the weight of the shoes/traction much when walking?
Thanks. I'm not selling them yet, but I can look into selling them internationally. Or I probably wouldn't mind if someone who lives in Australia who has 3D printers also makes them and sells them locally. Then you can avoid import fees.
Yes I can feel the weight of the shoes, but it's not that bad. It feels like walking with boots on. Each shoe is about 10 pounds, but remember you don't lift the shoes off the ground. They roll along the ground on wheels, so they don't feel anywhere near 10 pounds. Again, more like regular boots.
I need something like this
Would you say in about 5 years this would come out and if so how much is this likely to cost
I go into some detail about the cost here:
evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#cost
So I'm not exactly sure yet. I'm not focusing on the cost of this yet, just trying to get a functional design first. I also have ideas for other versions of the shoes that could be cheaper, but have some nice-to-have features stripped out. I'm hoping to have different versions with prices ranging from $300 to maybe $900, but don't quote me.
@@finallyfunctional All good cant wait to get one once it drops AAA devs need to see this
something i couldn't help but think of is with how you have the pole connected to your feet couldn't in theory at a later stage you use that to help simulate climbing up stairs?
Hmmmm I never thought of that. You'd need some way to raise the part of the platform under the user's foot up too, but I think in theory it could work. Great idea!
@@finallyfunctional iv always figured that eventually we would have shoes like this glad its happening quite fast compared to what i imagined its pace would be i always figured the motors wouldn't be strong enough speaking of which out of curiosity do you know what weight the shoes could support up to before not working?
Yeah 3D printing has really made it much easier for individuals to rapidly create a prototype. If companies aren't fast enough or aren't working on something, we can take matters into our own hands.
I'm using motors and ESCs designed for electric skateboards, so they're really powerful. Electric skateboards normally can go at least 15 mph, but the VR shoes don't need anything close to that. Plus, I have gearing similar to what you would use on a skateboard (2:25:1), and I'm using smaller wheels, so less torque. Given all that, the shoes could probably handle a heavy user, maybe 250 pounds, maybe more? Don't quote me, I'll need to do testing to make sure.
That being said, those motors and ESCs are really expensive. $50 per motor, $65 per ESC. Each shoe has 2 motors and 2 ESCs, so 4 of each in total. That's already $460. So I want to have different versions of the shoes. A heavier user might need those motors and ESCs, but I probably don't, and my wife sure as hell wouldn't. Another version of the shoes can have less powerful ESCs and motor and be a lot cheaper. I'm just using the expensive stuff now for the prototype because while I design these I don't want to have to worry about power.
@@finallyfunctional two more things one im not a engineer or anywhere close so i don't know if you can track this at this stage but do you know how much power it takes atm compared to other things like say the vr controllers? and last do you think they would work on carpet?
@@Xalphoria I've written out detailed answers to those questions here:
evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#power-consumption
evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#carpet
have you tested any 3d printed omniwheels?
Yes I've tried several. Here are a few I've tried.
imgur.com/gallery/XNKevX2 - 1
imgur.com/a/qtOh0Cw - 2
imgur.com/a/Ftvs6vS - 3
I think the ones in #3 could work well, but then I discovered the Rotacaster wheels that I bought and they work really well, so I stopped trying to make my own. Maybe one day I'll go back and make some videos on just omni wheels.
keep it up.
Thanks. I'm hoping to have another progress update video out either this weekend or the next.
Just saw you on imgur today!
Gyroscope?
I don't think a gyroscope is needed. They're large enough and low enough to the ground so that they don't want to flip.
I hope you have the rights for a patent.
I'm not getting a patent. This is open-source.
evansalex.com/2020/08/04/a-motorized-shoe-to-be-used-with-virtual-reality-games-part-3/#patent
Nice! I was worried for a moment, because I saw a year back Google filed a patent for this exact idea. I just read on your site that it would not apply to this project. Thankfully you're doing an open source project, that will broaden up the community around this. I might try to help out myself too maybe :)
I also worked on a solution for the locomotion problem, but was thinking of a way larger solution with an exoskeleton that is hung stationary. Kind of like AxonVR made.
I have done some work on it, but nowhere near the levels you went to. I really respect your determination!
Amazing work!
Looks uncomfortable...
First test. They'll get better.
@@finallyfunctional Mkay.