The Virtual Reality Navigator

The Virtual Reality Navigator.

So there is this inclined plane with roller-blades, no just kidding, rollers on it, from top to bottom.  And if one steps on the top roller, then that rolls, (as it is expected to), and the foot slides to the next roller, which also, um, rolls, and then one’s foot goes to the next roller, which also rolls, .. , and then the foot slides to the next roller, which also rolls, and then the foot slides to the next roller, which also rolls…

So there are sensors at the end of each roller, measuring the speed with which the roller turns.

There is a band around waist-high, connected to beams connected to the roller platform.  So one can hold on to the band, step on to the top of the rollers, and um, roll down.

There is a safety-harness suspended above this, that one slips onto one’s body.  This holds one in place while one steps onto the rollers.  So that one does not fall…

There is a set of optical projectors around the height of the band, that project a 3-D image into the air before the person standing on the roller-platform.

So this is the system.  The Virtual Reality Navigator.

What do we navigate through? 

Could be an online shopping mall.  One starts the online-shopping-mall application, and it loads and the optical projectors project the 3-D wire construct of a corridor, with doors on each side.  Or maybe, to start off with, it could be the entrance to the Mall.  Yeah.  The entrance is good to start with.

Then one slips into the harness. And then one steps on the roller platform, and the foot slides down.  The speed of the rollers turning is recorded and then that translates into movement, by the computer system generating the online-shopping-mall.  Hence, one can take a step on the roller-platform, and the scene in front of one, projected by the optical projectors, moves toward one, so that it appears that one has moved through or into the scene…. So it appears that one is stepping in the online-shopping-mall. 

Take another step and walk down the corridor.  Choose a door.

There is a steering-wheel on the band, at steering level.  Probably adjustable, according to one’s height.

So when one wants to turn, then one turns the steering-wheel, and that is connected to the computers, and that is translated by the software using a formula, maybe the radius of turning of the wheel is the degrees by which the online-shopping-mall turns. 

So if the wheel is turned right, then online-shopping-mall goes left, so that it appears that one is turning right.

If the wheel is turned left, then the online-shopping-mall is shown going right, so that it appears that one is turning left.

So, it goes on. 

Then are gloves on each hand, with finger-tip sensors.  So there is a virtual hand represented in the VRN (Virtual Reality Navigator system).  So one lifts one’s hand and pushes open the door.   (If it needs to be opened.  Usually shop doors are open, but one never knows…).

Then one steps in, and steps through the corridors…..

When one finds an aisle, one turns the steering-wheel and steps into it.

One goes down the aisle, and sees item-boxes packed on it.

Each item-box is a virtual representation of an item-box in reality.  So there is a description of the item, or maybe a demo that can be viewed on a virtual TV in the virtual item-box on the virtual shelf in the virtual aisle of the virtual online-shopping-mall.

One clicks “Play” on the virtual-TV, using the fingers, and the finger-tip sensors are recognized by camera’s or other recognition devices placed around.  So when the finger approaches the “Play” virtual-button, the finger-tip-sensor is recognized and when there is contact, the virtual-TV starts playing.

So one sees the demo, and if one wishes to buy one or more instances of that item, then there is a virtual-keypad where one enters the number of instances required.  There is a virtual card-swiper, so that one can swipe a virtual-card that one should have on one, (back to the beginning please.  Supply the one with the virtual card before entering the shopping mall – or maybe the shop – one virtual card per one, and then another ID at each area of billing – maybe a department, may be a shop).

So one swipes the virtual shopper-ID got in that shop, and the item details are recorded.

Then the next item, and the next, and the next, and the next, and the next ….

Then one goes to the checkout-counter, and presents the virtual shopper-ID, and swipes it there, and then pays using a virtual debit-card.

Can have the checkout personnel in a low-rent location, and they can virtually interact as the checkout personnel.  So they handle the swiping of the virtual cards, etc., and there could be a self-serve counter too…

Then, the items are billed and the invoice sent to one’s email address, and also to a warehouse, where some person there chooses a trolley, moves along the physical aisles there and then fills the shopping list (that was billed), moves it to physical checkout, where it is checked, and then it is placed in another trolley, and that goes to packaging, where the Bill-ID is used to access the shipping address, and the shipping label is printed out and the items packed, the shipping label slapped on it, and then the package(s) is ready to be shipped to the shipping-address.

The package(s) are placed in another trolley, and then it is sent to the courier section, where they handle that.  Local, outstation, long-distance classifications, and the packages are sent to each destination.

Meanwhile, back at the online-shopping-mall, where one is still standing on the rollers, one doesn’t really see what is happening behind the scenes, and one happily turns away and walks through checkout to the exit, and reaches the corridor.

Then one turns right or left into the corridor, saunters along to the next shop of interest, turns the steering-wheel again, enters, shops, exits,

Reaches the corridor, chooses a shop, enters, shops, exits,

Reaches the corridor, chooses a shop, enters, shops, exits,

Reaches the corridor, chooses a shop, enters, shops, exits,

Reaches the corridor, chooses a shop, enters, shops, exits,

And then stops for a rest.

And then goes off again, till tired or shopped or done  or finito or finished, or satisfied.

Then one eats something, and walks again….  (Eats at the physical place where one is ….)

Another application of the Virtual Reality Navigator:

-       Gaming.  Be in the safety-harness.  Remove the band.  Free-hand and free-flow swinging of the arms, the movement of the feet on the roller-platform allows one to move through a game, while playing tennis.

o   This can be adapted for physiotherapy…

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-       Any other….