Whole body kinesthetic displays for immersive virtual reality applications

This paper describes a system that provides a full body, digitally programmed, kinesthetic display for virtual reality applications. This design begins by providing a four axis motion platform for each foot of the operator. From this base design, kneeling boards are added to support rolling, kneeling and prone postures; and a vertical feature presentation mechanism is appended which allows the operator to interact with realistic walls, windows, doors and other vertical obstacles features in his movement space. The design of this complex device was driven by a variety of requirements including the need for system modularity, enhanced safety and the need to emulate all significant physical activities. This paper describes the user's requirements, the high-level design trade-offs and a description of the device currently under development.