Serious Labs, a company that develops virtual reality (VR) solutions for training and operation of heavy equipment, has a new Universal Motion Base (UMB) for seated VR heavy equipment simulators. The UMB, says the company, has been designed as the common foundation for the development of additional VR equipment simulators, including those for skid steer loaders, dozers, excavators, and backhoes—as well as for vehicles, such as buses and trucks.
The UMB includes as standard an operator’s seat, custom-tuned D-Box actuator system for motion-feedback, and a slide-lock attachment system, which is focused on operator comfort during equipment training. The UMB’s design, says the company, provides logical options for equipment controls, including a steering column or control handles, multiple pedal options, and attachment points on either side of the operator to accommodate all future equipment types.
According to the company, when it develops additional equipment simulators on top of the UMB, the D-Box actuator system will be tuned to match that equipment’s personality and feel, ensuring that it provides critical motion queuing, thus helping to mitigate the problem “cybersickness.” The UMB marks Serious Labs’ entrance into developing VR simulators for dirt-moving equipment, and the company will introduce task-based scenarios for tool interaction with a dynamic terrain.
