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How do you raise the game in VR treadmill running? The team at Octonic has answered that question. Octonic’s software connects VR headsets to fitness treadmills, transforming workouts into exciting VR fitness adventures. Time flies as users are immersed in beautiful virtual reality worlds while treadmill exercising. Customer feedback on the Early Release, available on Meta’s AppLab and SideQuest VR since August 2022, has been positive. Now, Octonic’s developers are taking the experience to a whole new level.
First, they are implementing integrations with 40 treadmill brands (400+ treadmill models), allowing for full control over physical treadmills (start/stop, speed, etc.) from VR through bluetooth connectivity. Octonic’s Motion Engine precisely matches the physical treadmill speed with the VR speed, eliminating motion sickness and empowering complete immersion. Their Early Release product, however, offered a non-connected mode where runners adjusted physical treadmill speed manually, utilizing a passthrough viewbox. Effective December 19, 2022, their connected and non-connected products are covering 99% of fitness treadmills on the market.
But the Octonic team didn’t stop there. In collaboration with longstanding treadmill manufacturing partner, NoblePro (the leading UK smart treadmill manufacturer), they have created VR treadmill replicas, precisely calibrating in-headset treadmill visuals with the real thing, including handrails and the moving belt. So when people reach out to their virtual treadmills, they will touch their real NoblePro treadmills in complete synchronicity, creating the first ever integrated VR fitness treadmill.
Another improvement is a swappable hand tracking – controller interface, allowing for interchangeable use between the two input methods. Hand controls are based 100% on natural interaction: tap, click, and swipe.
Lastly, Octonic is growing their worlds library. Their Early Release featured two worlds, and they’re now introducing two additional ones: Sky Island, a natural world, and Sprintblaster, a gaming experience. Moving forward, developers will continue building more gaming, as well as multiplayer experiences that allow runners to compete or run with friends, AI bots, or random runners from across the world.
These improvements rest on one of Octonic’s critical features – a proprietary 3-level Safety Engine providing real-time runner’s position tracking, avatar representation, and a departure warning system. As a result, runners seamlessly exercise in the metaverse. Octonic and their treadmill manufacturer partners believe that VR running with Octonic is as safe as real-world running.
Octonic is compatible with Meta’s Quest 2 and Quest Pro, with development plans for upcoming mobile headsets. The Quest 2 is a good fit for walkers and light joggers at speeds up to 6 MPH, with the addition of non-fabric headstraps to maximize comfort. At speeds above 6 MPH, the Quest Pro, with its balanced design, works well.
Octonic’s new 2.0 update is available December 19th, 2022. The $14.99 price remains, and includes their two largest natural worlds and a free demo of the newly-released Sky Island world. Additional running worlds are available as in-app purchases, ranging from $2.99 to $9.99 per world. Visit their LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook sites for the latest news.
About Octonic VR
Octonic builds software that facilitates two-way communication between VR headsets and fitness treadmills, allowing users to transform workouts into fitness adventures, without leaving their home or gym.
