If you're here, then you've probably seen the following video. Just in case you somehow reached this page accidentally, here it is again:
Okay, what did you just see? Well, besides someone operating a moving vehicle with complete disregard for their surroundings (YOLO), you were witnessing what we believe is the most fun aspect of VR taken to its extreme: total immersion. If you have played VR while stationary, or even with a small area to walk around in, at some point your virtual body had to move while your real body stayed in one spot. For one thing, this can cause motion sickness in some people (especially yours truly), and secondly, on some level it breaks the illusion that you are "in the game".
You know what makes you feel like you're really doing something? Actually doing it! Sandbox VR is probably as close as you can get, where you're able to move around "freely", but even then you're limited to a small space, and the technology required is costly and complex. Driving, however, is the perfect activity for direct simulation, for reasons we will touch on in later posts. For now, just know that in the near future your mind and body could be fully convinced that they were about to drive off the edge of a road hanging 1000 feet above a volcano while launching coconuts at the driver in front of you.
You may have noticed that I use the word "we" even though it's really just me talking. For one thing, I'm not handling the money, driving the car, and talking on the phone. But more importantly, I'm looking for collaborators! This project won't go much further without some smart people, so if you like what you saw and might want to get involved, drop me a line on LinkedIn. In the meantime, there will be plenty more to come about this project. A couple hints: it will be multiplayer, it will be drive-by-wire, and it will have autonomous capabilities. Stay tuned!
-Greg
The story continues with Part 1: What we're building