Since we’re in the middle of the Olympics fever right now and all sorts of amazing feats of physical prowess, we’re always on the lookout for more stories of endurance and strength of the human spirit. Well, this story may not exactly fit into this bill, but it is interesting nonetheless. A British man is attempting to be the first person ever to travel through an entire country without exactly leaving the house because he will be doing it through the wonders of virtual reality.
Aaron Puzey had a sudden brilliant idea to cycle his way across Britain from the comfort of his living room, with the use of an old exercise bike, a Samsung Gear VR, Google Streetview data, and an app that he developed. The VR headset is strapped into his head of course and as he “cycles” through the Streetview data on his app and he uses his phone’s camera to move through space while he pedals.
“I want to become the first person to cycle through Britain in virtual reality. I really, really do. In fact I might be the first person to cycle any great distance in VR,” says Puzey. It’s not such a lofty goal if you compare it to winning an Olympic medal, but it’s a pretty amazing thing to do, if you’re one of those people who are interested in how VR can change how we live and interact with other people. Also, this does get physical as pedaling is no joke, even if you’re pedaling on a stationary bike.
He is already almost at the halfway point of his journey. If you’re interested to find out how he started as well as his progress in his quest, you can follow him on his blog, cyclevr.wordpress.com.
VIA: Upload VR
