@dReadSolJah

DJ used Wii Remote controllers to control JD's arms. The Wii Remote Controller skill control is unique and allows you to get the accelerometer data from the controllers and use it in ARC.

Currently there isn't a way that I know of to have the Vive controllers show up in ARC. The controllers pair to the headset and not to the PC directly so there wouldn't be a way (currently) to have them communicate to ARC.

There are a few open source projects that use the Vive concept but I would recommend finding some Wii Remotes (the older ones that don't have the plus built-in) to try this method of arm control.

Thank you very much for the insights on that, Jeremie!

I will take a look at our local used-gear-sites and see if i can find some Wii Remotes

I am using the Oculus Quest to control my robot, it is all set up in Unity... I  am pretty sure there is a dev pack that supports the Vive!!

Good call @Mickey I completely forgot about that!

Its not for the Vive though... I do not own the hardware, so I cannot help to get this going! But it should be possible! Unity can connect to ARC, its just a matter of getting the Vive controllers going! I think there should be a free asset for Unity!!

mickey666maus

are the stl's from the hands to get some where? are these made for ez robot servo's?

Hey Mickey,very cool video there,excellent work!

Thanks I will have to continue on this one...VR fever caught me, and now I was hijacked by some games, that kept me from robotics!!

Those hands are for Lewan Soul LX16A Servos, you can use them with ARC, but you would need to modify them if you would want them to fit on your JD...I can upload them to Thingiverse if you are interested?

Hi micker666maus

yes very intereted.thank you

Awesome man! Really awesome.

Hey there...had to create a Thingiverse profile! These are the hands I used!

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4098540

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4098556

@Mickey666Maus how are you using ez-robot and the oculus quest as I am looking at buying one but want to make sure that I can use the headset and controllers with ez-robot.  The oculus quest is not wired to the computor right?

Also could smeone create a plugin that allows you to use you oculus quest with ez-robot.

I know the oculus quest used to allow Steam VR to work with the headset. I read somewhere recently that oculus pulled support for steam vr. I think that's the only option you have, is to see if you can restore steam vr support.

A plugin can never run on the oculus device. That won't be the solution. What you'd need is an Android application that can run on it.

Have you tried to load the Virtual Reality Robot android app on your device? Can the oculus quest access google play?

It's going to be a tough process because the oculus is a pretty closed ecosystem. Unlike the other vr headsets, oculus doesn't really co-operate with the open standards.

I can install it I think by downloading the vr.apk that connects to synthiam but the controllers would not be able to be used, and I want to be able to use the quest controllers with the quest.  Also I have not bought the quest yet. Have any quest controllers hanging around:D.

The vr.apk does not work with the Oculus Quest....

You do not need a plugin, you can simply send the servo positions to the ARCs Http Server, its very easy!!

The problem was, that we only got it to work with Serial Bus Servos...so it will not work on any robot using standard PWM servos!

Also you need to build a custom .apk in Unity for your robot, which might involve learning Unity!

Thank you is their anyway you could sent me your code as an example to base mine off of like the jd one.  Thanks

Why won't it work with standard pwm servos? The function call is the same... if you shared your code, i can show you how to fix it

Also, i wouldn't use the http server. There is a servo & camera server that is much better fit for this application here: https://synthiam.com/Products/Controls/Servo/Servo-and-Camera-Server-17663

Hey, I might be wrong about this actually...I will have to look into the code I used! I might have used the servo & camera server!

I do not know why, but there was an issue about the pwm servos...me and @fxrtst had the same problem, dealing with live control and pwm servos! Live playback was really choppy!

And I think using the Serial Bus Servos made it go away...but since I seem to be the only one using this setup here on the forum, I did not really do much testing with the ARC/Arc software!

I would not mind revitalizing the project, if anyone is interested... Its fun!!

If it was choppy, that's probably due to how fast the position was updated on PWM vs Serial. The PWM would be much faster response. The way to fix that would be to smooth the position using a few different methods.

Also how would I go about using the htc vive controllers.

@DJSures I totally agree, it is probably a matter of tweaking the timing, and how those values are being dealt with! Since I switched to those Serial Bus Servos anyways, I did not do enough testing on the subject!

@Autiboy I am very sorry, my answer might have been misleading...because sending the values to ARC is super simple, but building an application for the Oculus Quest is not easy at all!

So if you are looking for VR options, you should get one that will support the vr.akp so you will not need to build some .apk on your own, because this is not easy!

Maybe DJ can recommed some hardware which runs best in tandem with ARC!

@Mickey666Maus I know I can show the camera output on the headset but I do not know how to use the controllers with it.  I curently have an htc vive so if it would be easier I could use that in stead.  I am just wondering if you could send the example of the unity application you wrote in this video

Any compatible steam vr headset. Documented on the virtual reality robot page here: https://synthiam.com/Products/Controls/Virtual-Reality/Virtual-Reality-Robot-15982

Yeah I saw that and got it working but I want to know how would I incorporate the htc vive controllers.

Hey, I guess I can provide a Unity project...then you would have to figure out how to get the Vive controllers working, but there should be a ton of info out there on YouTube!!

I will look for the project...in the meantime, you can download and install Unity. Its free to use!

Also you should try to learn a bit of how to use Unity, otherwise it might be very confusing!!

Thanks very much.

This is the Unity scene...I hope this helps to get you going!!

https://github.com/SwannSchilling/Synthiam_Unity

A friend of mine is looking for a VR system. It seems the original HTC Vive model  is discontinued https://uploadvr.com/htc-vive-dead/  VIVE dropped the price and the replacement is the HTC Vive Cosmos.

Can you guys share some details regarding:  HTC Vive model, PC requirements and if you are happy ?

PC requirements are practically irrelevant when discussing VR. Even the most intense game I play set to the highest settings uses a fraction of the CPU... and that cpu is an I7 from 2012! Serious

It's all in the GPU - and that's the only thing that matters. Get the best GPU your friend can afford. If he cheaps out on the GPU, it will end up costing him the entire system because it'll be unusable. I wouldn't recommend anything less than an nvidia 1080. If your friend buys one less than that, it'll end up collecting dust and they won't even be able to sell it for used.

As for controlling the robots with it and using for augmented reality with Synthiam - pretty my much any VR headset works with Steam VR these days.

As for the HTC Vive... i do recommend Windows Mixed Reality. I use the Samsung Odyssey. I do have HTC Vive as well. It's just that the HTC vive requires sensors and the installation is a pain. I have a room in my house setup specifically for the HTC Vive. Nothing can move, the sensors are mounted on the walls. It's permanent setup. Where the windows mixed reality, i can play anywhere with no setup time.

I agree on the above, but my Radeon RX570 works pretty well...I guess the Nvidia GTX1060 will also get the job done! But as stated, the GPU is the bottleneck!

If you go for the Oculus Rift or Quest, you will get the best value for your money, otherwise go for the Vive Index! But as stated, the high tech comes at the price of the difficult setup!

I have not heard too much on all those Windows Mixed Media headsets, but if @DJSures had a good VR experience using them, I heard they are a pretty good deal!

....agree Windows Mixed Reality works very well. I have a Acer headset, but things move so quickly that its no longer available...and I bought it last year.

Do those headsets come with controllers and 6DOF inside out tracking....some of them seem to be pretty low priced! I guess it all boils down to the specs!!

Yeah they have controllers. They dont require any perm set up in the room. They are easy to set up. Here are the specs on the Acer:

Display Size: 2.89" x 2 & Resolution: 2,880 x 1,440 (1,440 x 1,440 per eye) Refresh Rate: 90Hz - Using HDMI 2.0, 60Hz - Using HDMI 1.4. Field of View 100 degree Tracking Sensors: Gyroscope, Accelerometer & Magnetometer Tracking Camera: Inside Out B+W VGA camera Connectivity: 1 x HDMI 1.4/2.0 & 1 x USB 3.0 (Cable Length: 13 feet)

Oculus Quest specs:

Display panel: OLED Display resolution: 1440 x 1600 per eye (Oculus Rift had 1080×1200 per eye) 100 degree FOV 72Hz refresh rate Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor 4GB RAM

Lithium-ion battery with 2-3 hours playtime, depending on what you are playing 6 degrees of freedom head and hand tracking Two touch controllers Weight: 571g (Rift is 470g)

The Oculus Quest does not need to be connected to a PC, it is a standalone device, no need for cables either...but it can also be used via cable to a PC and you can use it with the Oculus Store and Steam VR...

Mickey - i believe Oculus pulled away from Steam VR support for the Quest: https://www.engadget.com/2019/06/12/oculus-quest-virtual-desktop-app-steamvr/

I wouldn't touch an oculus device with a ten foot pole. Their business ethics have astounded me since the beginning...

No, I am using Steam VR without any problems!

But I do agree that since Facebook bought Oculus, and is sponging up the VR market...it would be very good to have another company, to keep VR diversity alive!

Its just a shame that HTC is moving away from the consumer market!

I am not speaking pro Facebook, I just choose the device from the money vs specs and portability!

Virtual Desktop was discontinued when Oculus Link was released!

It is a standard download in the Oculus Go store and works amazing with my PC games,just finished some robot battles in Borderlands2 and Fallout 4 in my Steam/PC Library. You can still even sideload Virtual Desktop if you have the Quest,still works My favorite is of course the  Terminator Resistance PC game in the Oculus Go ,the T-800 really look about 7-8 feet tall in VR and practically give you a heart attack when they sneek up on you. Also ever since the Tridef 3D went belly up ,new programs for the thousands of steam games have surfaced for 3D effect to all Oculus devices called "Reshade" free and works just as good as Tridef ever did, I tried out MadMax with the reshade and it looks awesome in 3d and vr wrapper in the Oculus. I like to keep the car view inside the car looking out the window,so realistic when driving and shooting your shot gun out the side windows.

Sorry, the correct way to put it would be...Virtual Desktop is still available, but to use the Occulus Quest on your PC, you will use the Oculus Link now! Which works with Oculus PC and Steam VR!

I still agree with @DJSures that Facebook sponging up the VR market is pretty spooky!!

Oh no doubt, facebook is a shady group that cant be trusted. I do think that the death of 3d Tv's really bummed me out and using vr goggles is the only way now to view 3d movies and games.I still have my giant 2013 LG cinematic 3d tv at the cottage and i have learned how to repair the circuit boards inside by knowing which ones to stockpile from ebay china.

Aaaaawww @roborad you are still my favorite Cyberpunk!!

Greetings from Germany, its beer and Single Malt now!!

LOL! I had my beers yesterday,today is all just coffee !

Just found this on YouTube, and wanted to give this guy credit by showing his build...no clue who he is or how he did it, but I guess everyone with an Inmoov will be loving this!! Maybe it would be good idea to port this to the ARC software? No Vive controllers needed!!