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That's waaaaaaaaay harder than it looks. The big problem with swords in VR is physical feedback. If I strike at you with a saber, the saber will stop moving, s

That's waaaaaaaaay harder than it looks. The big problem with swords in VR is physical feedback. If I strike at you with a saber, the saber will stop moving, sooner or later - either because you parry, or because the resistance of your bones and muscle eventually slows the thing down. Either way, it's a key component of a realistic swordfight. And it's bloody difficult to do in VR. You're not just talking about force feedback, you're talking about enough force to stop a 3 foot long piece of metal being swung with intent by a 200lb man, with the same speed and solidity of collision with another piece of metal - without interfering with the movement of that metal at any other time, risking injuring the person moving the metal, or generally screwing up. Guns, on the other hand, are much more doable.

malandrew 13y ago
Can you use gyroscopes to provide resistive force. Keep a heavy one running at low speed in the sword in a gimble. when you are about to hit something predictively rotate it to the correct orientation and accelerate it to high speed. Not totally sure this would work but if there is anything that can provide counteracting force without physical contact, a gyroscope is it. You don't even have to make a heavy sword, the gyroscope itself could simulate the force required to overcome the momentum of a heavy broadsword.
- sbierwagen 13y ago
  You'd have to apply a couple hundred newton metres of torque, which would probably require a 50kg gyroscope, (expensive, heavy!) and if you want it to be at all compact you'd have to make the reaction wheel out of tungsten. (even more expensive!)
- thenomad 13y ago
  Most swords aren't actually all that heavy - at least not ones designed for combat. My backsword feels about as light in the hand as a walking stick. Good idea - I shall store that one away for future reference...
corysama 13y ago
Not a solution, but an alternative to stopping your hand: http://tacticalhaptics.com/ http://tacticalhaptics.com/ I've tried this a couple of times at the local VR meetups. It's hard to describe, but it works better than you'd think.
- thenomad 13y ago
  I very much want to try Tactical Haptics' stuff. Wonder if they'll be in Scotland any time soon?

malandrew 13y ago

Can you use gyroscopes to provide resistive force. Keep a heavy one running at low speed in the sword in a gimble. when you are about to hit something predictively rotate it to the correct orientation and accelerate it to high speed. Not totally sure this would work but if there is anything that can provide counteracting force without physical contact, a gyroscope is it. You don't even have to make a heavy sword, the gyroscope itself could simulate the force required to overcome the momentum of a heavy broadsword.

sbierwagen 13y ago
You'd have to apply a couple hundred newton metres of torque, which would probably require a 50kg gyroscope, (expensive, heavy!) and if you want it to be at all compact you'd have to make the reaction wheel out of tungsten. (even more expensive!)
thenomad 13y ago
Most swords aren't actually all that heavy - at least not ones designed for combat. My backsword feels about as light in the hand as a walking stick. Good idea - I shall store that one away for future reference...

corysama 13y ago

Not a solution, but an alternative to stopping your hand: http://tacticalhaptics.com/ http://tacticalhaptics.com/ I've tried this a couple of times at the local VR meetups. It's hard to describe, but it works better than you'd think.

thenomad 13y ago
I very much want to try Tactical Haptics' stuff. Wonder if they'll be in Scotland any time soon?