Fitness 2.0: Design of a physical virtual reality engine with real-time force feedback

The Ethereal Engine combines fitness with gaming and VR. By using two actuated armatures and foot platforms, the machine can provide users with force feedback while they enjoy a multitude of simulations that do not feel like a workout at all. Regular physical exercise is very difficult for many people. This can lead to poor health and increased associated risks for the body and the mind. The Ethereal Engine offers a solution: With exhilarating and exhausting experiences, users can fly with an ornithopter through magical landscapes or paddle through alien waters on foreign planets. Invented and under development by the company Ethereal Matter in the US, the project spans multiple countries, TU Delft faculties and student projects. In this graduation project, the next design of the frame for this very machine is proposed, with a special focus on user perception on the one hand, and engineering-related topics on the other. The project commences with user research into spatial perception emotion and the experience of transitioning from and to VR. Practical limitations such as maximum carrying weights, door and truck dimensions, and intended use cases result in manufacturability, transport, assembly and durability requirements. By using and adapting generative design tools (McNeel’s Rhino, Grasshopper and the plugin Karamba3D) for structural spaceframe design, a satisfying solution is found for the main structure. This basic structure is then designed around and iterated upon using VR reality tools like Gravity Sketch to create frame layouts that feel comfortable and safe. Constant iteration and testing in VR leads to a modular frame layout that allows multiple machines to be connected, but also up or downgraded to more or less extensive versions. Features like a mirror, a space to safely store personal belongings, and integrated lighting are proposed. The machine has fabric for the outside covering which is customizable, affordable and easy to transport. The final design includes a seat in the back with an attached screen for outside viewers to see what is happening in VR. Added interactive elements could lead to whole new interactions between people in the real world with the people in VR. Accompanying the project was the construction and assembly of a partial prototype of the frame and one armature in the Dreamhall of the TU Delft. It is upon the next students to finalise the second Ethereal Engine in the world and perform the (first?) intercontinental handshake through VR.Integrated Product Desig