Infinadeck

Having debuted at SVVR Expo back in 2014, Infinadeck is an active omnidirectional treadmill created by George Burger. A new, improved version was demonstrated at CES 2016. It features frame-mounted harness, which detects force applied by the user’s body; weights just 500 pounds; and produces much less noise. The Infinadeck team targets primarily industrial and military commercial applications.

Features

InfinaDeck is an Omnidirectional Treadmill (ODT) is similar to a typical treadmill, except that the user can walk in any direction. The Infinadeck reacts to the user’s movement, including their speed and direction, to keep them safely in the center of the deck. This, when coupled with a virtual reality headset, allows for limitless locomotion in a virtual world.

The original version was 1000 pounds heavy and entirely lacked any ability to detect user input. The user experience was, instead, driven with manual control over the belts. The latest version features a velcro harness, which straps around the waist and detects users movement to adjust the speed. In practice, when a user leans forward the belt start moving in the opposite direction at a corresponding speed and angle. A handheld kill switch can be pressed at any time to instantly deactivate the treadmill.

Hardware

The treadmill is only 1.3m x 1.7m (4.4ft by 5.6ft) and weighs in at 255kg (500lbs). The machine stands a mere .4m (16in) off the ground. The power consumption even comes in at under 1200 watts, which is about the same as the average refrigerator.

Technical Specifications

• Dimensions: 68" L x 64" W x 16 3/4" H
• Noise: ~70 decibels
• Movement: infinite 360 degrees, up to 6 mph
• Input/output: BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), Standard Joystick with Optional API for 1:1 motion
• Power: 1200 Watts, 120 VAC - OPT 240 VAC

Background

The original goal was to build an inexpensive omni-directional treadmill capable of achieving speed greater than 8 mph and small enough to fit a normal-sized room.