Take a tour through an astounding virtual world with a new kind of exercise bike from VRee Motion.
VRee Motion is taking the recumbent bike and the HTC Vive and creating a new fitness experience. Riders will tour through a fantasy forest with bridges and bumpy pathways that lead off into a standard trail loop. This is just a proof of concept, but this idea of locomotion has us very intrigued.
Recumbent bikes position the rider in-line with the pedals and allow for a more relaxed ride. No strain on the wrists or shoulders, no arching of the back. This puts the focus on the legs which will give the rider the power to get around in the virtual world.
The ride demo is a gentle 15-minute workout, with sections that are challenging enough to increase your heart rate but not enough to get a serious workout in. I’m sure that VRee Motion will have more extreme rides that can deliver intense cardio sessions once it’s released.
The bike seating is designed with 4D applications. In the video, you can hear the tester talking about every bump and divot in the road, and the high-quality sound design puts nature close at hand. The rider can hear all the sounds around him like chirping birds, the bike noise itself and the environment beneath him. This sound depth captures the rider in the virtual world and makes them feel apart of it.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQsJHhuPa8U&w=560&h=315]
Watching the video got me thinking about those with degenerative diseases might be able to find greater control over mind and body within a machine like this. This kind of safe environment would allow these patients to improve coordination without too much risk of physical injury. I am very excited to see where VRee Motion will go and all the uses for their bike.