Google Patents Motorized Shoes for Virtual Reality

Obviously, one of the things we dream about when it comes to VR is the ability to feel like we are actually moving through the spaces that we create, especially if we expect gaming to feel and look anything like what we’ve seen in Sci-Fi movies so far.

While we can easily be transported into the virtual space via the Vive or Oculus headsets, we don’t really have true freedom of movement – it’s only a matter of time before we bump into a wall or the sharp corner of some piece of furniture.

A newly discovered Google patent seems to hint at something that might just fix this issue, which is motorized shoes, built specifically with VR in mind.

The shoes will allow the user to walk as one does but the motors built into it will actually invalidate their movement and will, instead, keep them anchored safely into the VR zone. As soon as the user comes in too close to the virtual walls of the safe area, the shoes will be wheeling them back to a better position.

Obviously, there are lots of questions that come in mind concerning the patent – balance being one of them but, even so, if Google does figure these shoes out and turns them into a reality, we’re really looking forward to see how much fun we can have with them.