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This may be a "new" motion platform alternative?

Discussion in 'DIY Motion Simulator Building Q&A / FAQ' started by Orcin, Apr 20, 2016.

  1. Orcin

    Orcin New Member

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    Hi guys.

    As I was about to give up finding a 6dof motion platform alternative, I saw this video at YouTube.



    I dont know if this video have shared here before, but it attracted me so much.

    With a single actuator and a second motor, this platform manage to give about "185 degree" movement..

    The more attractive detail is the VR Headset.

    Video was published at 2008

    Isn't it nearly the exact copy of Oculus Rift CV1?

    Looks more than a coincidence..

    I am looking forward your opinions about such a motion platform.

    Thanks in advance.

    PS: Here is the Navy Demo video of platform. Published at 2010;

    • Like Like x 1
  2. Kirk

    Kirk Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor
    It looks quite clever.
    It also looks exactly like an engine hoist, with a bearing at the end, and the cylinder attached to the chair instead of the top brace.
    It does surprise me greatly that this was uploaded in 2008.
    I suspect you could get better performance, or at least a quieter ride, by using electric motor vs. the pneumatic piston.
    From their website, they were apparently selling them for $10K, claiming the parts were $5K (without headset, which at the time was over $1K). You can obviously do it cheaper, but I don't think they were gouging.
    Because it doesn't do 360, you won't need a slip ring.
    All in all, very clever.
    (edit)
    http://www.harborfreight.com/2000-lbs-capacity-foldable-engine-stand-69522.html
    2000 lbs engine stand from harbor freight, under $140, looks identical to their base.
    The one huge down side of this design is the amount of room it takes, as compared to a seat mover. But it looks like flying sims would really rock!
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2016
  3. Orcin

    Orcin New Member

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    It can be handled with 1 actuator and 1 dc motor.. am i wrong?
  4. Kirk

    Kirk Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor
    Correct, but you could also do it with 2 motors.
    I would also take a look at the "Rock-n-Ride" units. For a flying sim, using a stand like theirs, and a seat bracket like the Rock-n-Ride, should be able to come up with a very inexpensive flight sim, with a rotation center at the abdomen (perfect for flight).
  5. cgodwin

    cgodwin Active Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, JRK, Joyrider
    I've actually met the guy in the video, and I've ridden this simulator. It worked quite well for flight sim, but this was many years before I got involved with other simulators so I didn't have anything to compare it with. What stood out was the range of motion, but seeing the video now it is clear it is relatively slow. I asked him about the use of pneumatic instead of hydraulic or electric motors, and he explained it was both cheap and could work no problem off a single 15A, 120V circuit. Other commercial simulators with that kind of range used big servo motors, which were very expensive and took too much power to plug into an extension cord at a trade show. He ran this off a small, $100 air compressor, but the compressor was outside the building because of the noise so he had to run an air hose a significant distance.

    When I first started my own simulator project, I started with something similar to this design. But really quickly I figured out the pneumatic cylinders are very hard to control. The cylinders were cheap, but so were surplus gear motors. The killer was the need to use servo valves to get variable speed from the cylinders. The servo valves plus servo controllers were wildly expensive. Tests with standard solenoid values didn't go well, so quickly changed to electric motors.

    With a counterweight system, this same design should work with motors instead.
    • Like Like x 2
    • Informative Informative x 1
  6. Kirk

    Kirk Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor
    That must have been pretty wicked, riding a VR Motion Sim, before most had even heard of VR, let alone motion sims. It's now 8 years later, and it's still novel enough to get a Wow from most people.

    Congratulations!

    edit: I mis-read. But still, Congratulations! Even knowing people in the industry before it became a Thing is pretty impressive.

    2nd edit: I'll shut up now, but just wanted to say how much I *really* wish VR had taken off in the 90s. It's an amazing technology, it gives one pause to consider just how cool it'd be now if it hadn't been all but shelved for a couple decades.
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2016
  7. BlazinH

    BlazinH Well-Known Member

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    Commercial grade VR failed to succeed in the past because the commercial grade technology of the day was not up to the task. Only time will tell if that's still the case now or not!
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2016
  8. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
    3DOF, DC motor, JRK
    I think the experiential side of VR tech is there, but affordable slimmed down 4K wireless VR is still some years off.

    In my view the biggest risk to VR expanding past a niche market is the current cost, which will fall over time, and the chicken and egg conundrum for content, where for big developers there is not a big enough user base and for users not enough big end titles.

    Interestingly the existing VR content with the most depth is where quality VR has or is being added to existing titles. So far that has been predominantly in cockpit based simulator games, ED, Pcars, LFS, DCS, War Thunder, Dirt Rally and the like. It is perhaps not surprising that people like myself have come to motion simulation via an interest in VR related content, rather than being hard core race of flight enthusiasts.
    • Agree Agree x 1
  9. BlazinH

    BlazinH Well-Known Member

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    We must have been thinking the same thing at the same time. I agree that cost could also be a determining factor as to whether commercial VR succeeds now or fails again. Thus I had already edited my post above to state “commercial grade” technology. But if you have $100,000 + budget, VR has been around and viable for quite some time already.