Would you like a jump seat in a F1 car?

Roberto Saracco October 13, 2018 Blog 615 Views

Car simulation is shifting, with VR into a new dimension, changing the sport entertainment business on the way. Image credit: IFA trade show, Berlin

Simulators have become very effective, to the point that pilots, both racing cars and flight pilots, are making extensive use of them and amateurs can experience a virtual trill that is getting more and more engaging as the transducers are becoming more and more sophisticated.

Virtual reality goggles are providing a sense of immersion that normal screens cannot deliver and new seats with actuators can simulate acceleration giving a sensation close to the real thing.

A sophisticated seat, that is basically a haptic interface, has been showcased at the IFA 2018 in Berlin. You can seat there, wear VR goggles and feel like being in a real F1 car, with software simulating the race track in a realistic way.

Actually, there is more. You may sit there like a passenger and be taken around by a real F1 professional racer. The real data coming from the car telemetry during the real race can be used to recreate the experience of being in the car as it raced in the grand prix. According to the article on Phys.org the feeling is real.

The haptic seat does not come cheap, some 10,000$ so it may not become a fixture in your home anytime soon (the set of motors and mechanical actuators involved are not likely to significantly decrease in price) but it may become available in some specialised entertainment saloon.

As noted by Veronique Maheu, director at D-Box -the company manufacturing the haptic seat – the program today is using preprogrammed data but there is nothing that is stopping it from using real data coming from the racing car at this very moment.

This might be a real game changer in the entertainment sector. Rather than watching the race on your television you could -sort of- using the jump seat (a virtual one since they don’t provide jump seats in F1 cars) and stay in the car with your favourite racer throughout the grand prix. NOTE: I guess you will experience just an emotional presence not a real one since I doubt the Williams, Ferrari, Red Bull…. will be willing to share all telemetry data and let competition get insights on their car…

Of course this is not limited to racing cars. It may extend to racing boats, to acrobatic flights, to many other sports.

Indeed, this can change the entertainment industry, and your notion of entertainment moving you from being a couch potato to becoming the player.