Jan Goetgeluk
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Image of Virtuix Omni in use in 2013.
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| Type |
Software 
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|---|---|
| Inventor | Jan Goetgeluk |
| Manufacturer | Virtuix |
| Website | www |
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Notes Tentative release date Q4 2016 (subject to change) |
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Virtuix Omni is an Omnidirectional treadmill simulator for virtual reality games and other applications. It is currently in development by Virtuix. It uses a platform to simulate locomotion i.e. the motion of walking, requiring both special shoes and surface that reduce friction. It works in conjunction with a variety of head mounted display's such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Gear VR and allows gamers to walk or run within the game they are playing.
In 2013, the Virtuix Omni became one of the ten biggest technology Kickstarter campaigns, raising $1.1 million in funding. Since then, Virtuix has raised another $8 million from private and institutional investors.
Although originally slated to be released in January 2014, production of the Omni only began in November 2015. If the current launch target of Q4 2016 is met, it will have been delayed by over two-and-a-half-years.
Kickstarter backers began receiving their orders during the third week of January, 2017.
Virtuix was founded by Jan Goetgeluk. He quit his investment banking job to develop the project, investing 12 months of his time and a $200,000 personal investment to develop a prototype. The prototype for the Omni used dummy shoes and Kinect software to detect movement instead of the sensor system that became part of the final product. He applied for a US patent on 23rd October 2013 for his Locomotion System and Apparatus however, there is also prior art: the UK's Wizdish whose product is now known as RoVR. Jan Goetgeluk purchased a dish and shoes from Wizdish system prior to the filing of the US patent and could have derived his work, as the technology is exactly the same. Virtuix presented the prototype of the Omni at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2013 in Los Angeles, California where it was reviewed by Engadget and other electronic publications, including The Verge.
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