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A new VR treadmill named the Virtualizer has hit the ground running on Kickstarter by raising more than $140,000 in its first 24 hours.
The locomotion device is designed to allow users to move around freely around virtual environments, enabling them to walk, run, crouch and jump.
It works by strapping the user into the device and tracking their movements. Demos have seen the device used in conjunction with the Wii remote on titles such as Battlefield 4 and Grand Theft Auto IV. It can be used with other controllers however, though the treadmill requires use of a VR headset such as the Oculus Rift or Project Morpheus to play games on.
Austrian start-up Cyberith is asking for $250,000 to finalise the hardware design and put the tech into production. If successful, it aims to ship the Virtualizer in 2015.
As well as the hardware, an SDK will also be made available to developers to ensure their games are compatible with the treadmill, which it hopes to have ready by the end of 2014.
Last year Cyberith was named as one of the top games start-ups in Europe in the Develop 100, you can view for free in your browser or on iPad.
You can visit the Kickstarter page for the Cyberith Virtualizer here.
