Combat Flight Simulation Hardware and VR

[Mcgyver]

There might be but not for the home gamer.

Many years ago the RCAF was experimenting with a flight simulator based on a multi axis industrial robot

Its the leading edge way to do dark amusement park rides. Stick some seats on a large kuka robot arm, mount it on a vehicle and drive around a dark building presenting various images and moving the arm about to so gravity provides G's/similuate motion. One of the biggest challenges was toning down the motions enough so all the test riders didn't throw up

[RB211]

Is it the headsets that you put your phone in or, does it have it's own display ? I have the phone one, and was always disappointed. After
riding on the roller coaster and exploring the haunted house that was about it. I haven't tried any games but may try some now.

Edit: the disappointment involved what was available software wise. The graphics are great.

It has it's own processor and display which is pretty damn good, but I also plug in a USB cable and play all of my PC VR games on it as well. Best of both worlds.

[loose nut]

One of the biggest challenges was toning down the motions enough so all the test riders didn't throw up

Not really a problem for a fighter aircraft simulator, the more the merrier.

[Dan Dubeau]

I always wanted to build an Iracing simulator, but just don't think I'd use it enough to justify the cost and space it would take up. A motorcycle simulator based on a 6axis robotic arm would be a cool idea, and I'd love to try one. To make it even more real you could program it to tip you off from a lowside, or flick you up through the ceiling during a highside. .

The new Microsoft flight simulator is intriguing too, but again, not sure how much time I'd have to play around with it, and if I could justify the cost and space required. I'd rather put the time and money into getting my PPL.

Or making friends with others who have one

On another motorcycle forum I frequent there's a long running thread about Iracing and quite a few guys are into it, with some pretty sophisticated home setups. There are a lot of garage shops, and cottage businesses servicing that world, and it's much bigger than I ever thought. Much of the hobby world is like that TBH.

[bhowden]

One issue with VR and game simulation is that the human brain is wired so that moving the scene is different from moving your head. You can show this by holding your thumb up at arms length and moving your hand back and forth keeping your eyes focused on your thumb. It is fairly easy to move your hand quickly enough that your thumb gets blurry. Now hold your thumb still and move your head back and forth(staying focused on your thumb). It is impossible enough to move your head quickly enough to loose focus. I assume this is a few hundred million years of evolution solving the problem of walking and running and staying focused on your environment. I had always wondered why the camera in a race car providing driver perspective looked so unreal to me. This explains it completely. I am assuming computer simulations have the same problem.

Brian

[JRouche]

Now if they could only come up with a way for you to feel 9G's

Well, play it on the roof. Might get that massive G load JR

[danlb]

Nine Gs! No thanks. I've tried 4 Gs... That was enough for me. No need for real fighter jet Gs unless you have a real fighter pilot's suit to fight blood pooling too.

Dan

[RB211]

Nine Gs! No thanks. I've tried 4 Gs... That was enough for me. No need for real fighter jet Gs unless you have a real fighter pilot's suit to fight blood pooling too.

Dan

Red out, black out simulated in VR is pretty effective without the long term health problems associated with high G's. Problem with motion is that it must be synched perfectly with the visuals. I noticed this with the full motion sims at work while taxiing on the ground.

[Baz]

A late friend of mine had a cake decoration supplies company, making the little plastic things people use on cakes like Santa in sledge and holly. One day about 40 years ago he got an order for little fir trees. 2 million of them. All had to be exactly identical not just similar. It was from the Canadial government to make a flight simulator for helicopters which used two identical landscapes with a camera 'flying' each one in sync to provide stereo vision.

[loose nut]

That's how they did it back before computer power could do the graphics.

[RB211]

That's how they did it back before computer power could do the graphics.

There's no such thing as the, "good old days".

[J Tiers]

That's how they did it back before computer power could do the graphics.

Interviewed at the old McDonnell-Douglas. The simulators division. At that time they had a huge wall, over 100' long and several stories tall IIRC, and the pilot when he "flew" the simulator, would be "flying" a little nest of video cameras along that wall, in 3 dimensions. (It was a while back). Did not take the job, but did get the tour.

Got another tour a couple decades later, everything was different.

[JRouche]

Well in the late 70s to early 80s we worked on some air frames that were too small we all said.

Heavy load, no Pilot. The late 70s. Rockwell International, JR