What Are Omnidirectional Treadmills?

Feb 28, 2024

The technology is no longer only the stuff of science fiction

Last Edited: March 24, 2022

XR Today Team

Omnidirectional treadmills could revolutionize how we navigate virtual reality (VR) and can recreate lifelike movement in all directions without the user having to move around in the real world or trip over objects.

The best example of omnidirectional treadmills is possibly from Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, where the protagonist spent days on end in a Metaverse-like virtual environment, using an omnidirectional treadmill to move around.

Today, this technology is no longer science fiction, but scientific fact. Companies like VIRTUIX and Infinadeck are building their own prototypes for VR use, and eventually for navigating the Metaverse.

An omnidirectional treadmill (DT) is a mechanical device allowing users to move their legs on a 360-degree flat surface to provide total freedom of directional movement and typically looks like a flat square mounted on a box housing the internal mechanics of the treadmill.

Unlike a typical fitness device, it does not have a bar for users to hold onto, but instead, VR users can put on a headset and use hand controllers, even as they stand, walk, jog, or run on the treadmill.

Omnidirectional treadmills can typically function in two ways:

It could have a highly-sensitive flat surface to support obstruction-free movement needed for VR. This type of device may leverage accessories like haptic suits to facilitate whole-body interaction.

It could also use physical harnesses that understand when the user is accelerating away from the center of the surface. This is a less intuitive and more mechanical approach, but costs significantly less to manufacture. Devices of this type are popularly used for making films.

Seemingly, omnidirectional treadmills were widely seen as the next step for VR. Most VR environments do not use full-body avatars, and there are very few sensors and controller systems for a user’s lower limbs.

Treadmills would seamlessly fill in this market gap, saving VR providers the need to develop hand controller-like systems for our legs.

There has been a lot of movement in this technology segment in 2020-2021, and the industry gained further momentum after Facebook rebranded to Meta and announced its intentions to help build the Metaverse, one of the primary use cases for omnidirectional treadmills.

A company called Virtuix also raised $19 million USD to help manufacture its own version, and a project has been in the works since 2013. Virtuix’s also quietly released its omnidirectional treadmills over the past year.

There are a number of patents filed in this category, mostly to develop digitally-powered, consumer-facing devices that would provide full immersion, which have discrete components like central stationary platforms, decks with embedded sensors, a conveyor belt arrangement, and rollers that enable movement in all directions.

There are also established companies like OmniPad whom have started researching the technology in the 1990s and launched a fully functional omnidirectional treadmill in 2019, prior to the Metaverse becoming widely popular and available for access.

Omnidirectional treadmills can vary in pricing, depending on the manufacturer and use case. Consumers can expect a starting price of approximately $2,000, but there are less expensive options as well.

Some solution bundles such as Cyberith’s Virtualizer Elite 2 package retails for approximately $10,000, including headsets, software development kits (SDKs), and several other features.

Due to its experimental nature, the technology is expected to remain expensive for a while. There are only a few market players, and demand is limited to advanced enterprise use cases such as space exploration as well as extremely niche customer segments like professional gamers.

However, given the pricing trends observed in the VR headset segment, we could expect these treadmills to become more affordable as the Metaverse gains more momentum. Headsets such as the Oculus Quest 2 retailed at just $199 during the 2021 holiday season—an unthinkable price point at the beginning of the VR era.

However, one has to keep in mind a few potential disadvantages. First, the cost is extremely high and truly intuitive experiences are only accessible to large enterprises.

Second, users need training to learn the correct movements and gestures that the treadmill can understand. Without training, the UX could become worse and riskier than traditional, hand-controlled VR experience.

Finally, there are health considerations to remember, as the technology is yet to be widely studied and may have impacts on our posture and muscle health.

One idea that improves the treadmill concept, and addresses the downsides, is a future pair omnidirectional VR roller skates. Google has filed a patent for such a device, which would allow users to move their feet freely in VR, while an arrangement of wheels would negate their movement and keep users stationary in the real world.