The CyberSeat. A computer-driven consumer product for simulation A multi-media and internet-related project. Copyright Transforce Developments Ltd 1

Transcription

1 The CyberSeat A computer-driven consumer product for simulation A multi-media and internet-related project Copyright Transforce Developments Ltd 1

2 What is The CyberSeat? An exciting, durable, silent, extremely safe, computer-driven simulator seat incorporating the latest actuator technologies to create the sensation of motion in a variety of environments, representing a completely new paradigm in simulation Motion simulation is an essential part of an entertainment or training experience. The action of the CyberSeat transforms visual software into a profound motion experience. This is because motion cues act directly on the subconscious areas of the brain and trigger instinctive reactions that heighten visual interpretation. The Cyberseat patents protect a completely different way of creating motion sensations in a special seat that does not itself move. Only the seat supporting surfaces are moved, and only a small distance. The low-cost and compact machine opens up large markets for training simulators of all kinds. Because it is very fast, sensitive and precise, it has a market as an enhancement to existing simulators that use motion bases. The CyberSeat is self-contained and completely safe, so that a low-cost version will be suitable for home use. Its two-way action renders the Internet body interactive and opens up huge global markets for games and training software, as well as for applications including aircraft seating, medical devices, baby mattresses, dynamic theatres and arcades, super trains, hotel room entertainment facilities, relaxation aids and massage centres. The CyberSeat is an enabling technology, creating a completely new market that will greatly enhance the business of providing highly profitable software and communications media. It may also open up a market as an upgrade to existing entertainment products. The CyberSeat is no larger than a normal armchair, it does not move, it is very easy to install and it requires only a 13amp power socket. The Technologies - and how the CyberSeat works The technologies have been developed over many years by Phillip Denne, an innovative scientist and engineer who is widely acknowledged to be a world authority on the design of simulator motion systems and is the author of many patents. Denne is probably best known for his development of the extremely popular Super X entertainment simulator in He has worked extensively on motion systems for simulation and for industrial control. The CyberSeat technologies are associated with the development of an electromagnetic actuator that replaces hydraulics in simulator mechanisms. The UK Government supported the development of the electromagnetic actuator under the SPUR Award scheme. The Cyberseat won a DTI SMART award in the early stages of its design. Copyright Transforce Developments Ltd 2

3 Modus operandi Contrary to widely held opinion, motion is not usually sensed by the balance organs in the head, but by the pressures acting on the surface of the skin. Therefore, it is possible to create the sensation of motion by varying the pressures exerted on the body in two principal ways, for both of which innovative machines were patented by the inventor. 1. Pressure pads The body is supported by a number of pads that each uses an electromagnetic actuator device to change the enclosed volume - and therefore the pressure in the pad. There is no requirement for an external supply of compressed air. This technique is similar to that which has been used for many years in military training g seats of the type shown opposite. 2. Seat surface motion The positions of the seat and back supports are physically moved a small distance, changing the way in which the occupant is supported by the seat surfaces as it would be changed by real motion of the seat. In effect, the person is moved in the opposite direction to that in which the seat itself would have moved in a real motion environment. A test rig using this principle is shown opposite. This was previewed at a London show, where it won an award for its technology by instant and unanimous decision of all four judges. Some advantages of the CyberSeat technology It truly represents a new paradigm of motion simulation It uses proven technology It is an enabling technology, creating new markets for itself Its two-way action makes the seat body interactive It may be engineered as an affordable consumer product It is easy to install and move Maintenance is expected to be minimal, as a result of the simple design There is no requirement for an external compressed air supply The seat occupant moves only a centimetre or two, making it very safe in use There are global markets for the machine in consumer and serious training applications Its wide bandwidth and small size even make it attractive as an addition to existing simulators of conventional design Copyright Transforce Developments Ltd 3

4 Development History Background and Rationale The original concept of the motion seat arose in 1986 as a result of a request by a visionary entrepreneur called Alan Madsen in Salt Lake City, Utah. Madsen s idea was that an unusual form of personal motion system was to be part of a family entertainment centre to be built in a deserted area on the outskirts of the city. The Family Entertainment Centre (called Odyssey ) would itself have been the very first FEC to incorporate a large number of simulator units of them, in fact, providing motion-cued experiences of six different types in separate, themed zones of the Odyssey complex. A group of hotels and restaurants would have surrounded the Odyssey centre and brought new life and wealth to the unoccupied zone. Unfortunately, the specifications of the various entertainment simulators, many of which were intended to be fully interactive, were beyond the available low-cost technology in The Odyssey project was ahead of its time and it was never built. Bur when the new motion seat was described to certain makers of dynamic theatres (cinemas with moving seats), they were very interested. So too were the makers of amusement arcade machines, the proprietors of relaxation centres, the proponents of car driver training simulators for schools and those involved with special seating of all kinds. Thoughtful observers of the entertainment simulator business said that the capsule (or group) simulator was growing out of fashion and that something different and imaginative would soon be badly needed. The new motion seat concept, they claimed, was just the thing. The designers of home videogames pointed to the unusual ability of the seat to sense human movement and said that it would represent a powerful and instinctive form of two-way human interface to the Internet. In 1994, the product was christened The CyberSeat by David Windle in a descriptive article published in the Sunday Times - and in 1995 the DTI granted a SMART Award to encourage its development. Several versions of the machine were studied and the Manned Flight Simulation facility of the US Navy ordered an experimental prototype of the latest version. This was exposed to members of the entertainments industry in It won an award (by outright and unanimous decision by all four judges) as the innovative technology with the most outstanding potential for many sectors of the entertainment business. Technology and Psychology The occupant of a CyberSeat experiences the sensations of motion - but the seat itself does not move; it stays firmly bolted to the floor. Instead, small movements of the seat surfaces, especially those of the seat pan and seat back, impart appropriate motion cues. The occupant is moved against the seat, in the opposite direction to that in which the seat itself would have moved in a real vehicle. The physiological basis of the technology is well known and firmly established, having been used for more than 20 years in military training. What is new and unique is a powerful, patented and low-cost physical method of producing the seat surface motions, using electromagnetic actuators. Copyright Transforce Developments Ltd 4

5 The Limitations of conventional Motion Bases A motion base consists of a fixed part - usually bolted to the floor - and a part that can be moved through a small distance (about a metre) in any direction. The motion platform can also be rotated through a small angle (20 degrees or so) in any direction at the same time. The motions of the platform relative to the base are produced by extendible rams or jacks. A motion base is classified according to the number of degrees of freedom (DOF) in which it can move. Typically, the machine can be used to move a chosen point (called the centre of motion) in 3 linear translations: heave, surge and sway; and in 3 angular rotations: pitch, roll and yaw. The machines are also classified according to whether the motions can be carried out independently ( stacked motion ) or whether motion in one degree of freedom automatically limits motion of other kinds ( synergistic motion ). Whatever the type of motion platform, it has two very serious limitations: 1. Only transverse lateral accelerations can be presented to the occupant as long-duration cues; all other acceleration cues are extremely short because every ram must always remain within the limits of the ram travel length. If the acceleration continues for more than a small fraction of a second, a ram piston will approach the limits of its travel and it will have to be stopped abruptly. If that occurs, the sudden reverse acceleration does not match the visual cues and it completely destroys the illusion of continued motion that must be presented to the occupant. A motion base, therefore, cannot be used to represent the long duration high-g forces that are often experienced by the pilots of combat aircraft. 2. The capsule of a simulator has a large mass (15 or 20 tonnes) and moving it quickly demands very large forces from the rams. To produce in the capsule continuous vibration (of the type experienced in a helicopter, for example) would consume power at an unreasonably high level and it would rapidly destroy the bearings of the mechanism. Motion bases have an inherent bandwidth restriction. The Cyberseat technology breaks through both of these limitations, since it can produce motion cues of indefinite length - and it can apply vibration directly to the body of the pilot. Innovation The CyberSeat uses miniature dual-action electromagnetic rams to provide the seat pan and backrest motions. The result is a simple, silent and very powerful machine with a bandwidth of more than 100 Hz. It is capable of reproducing accurately the vibration environment of (e.g.) a helicopter. A simpler, low-cost version will be released onto the consumer market for computer games. The CyberSeat technologies convince the occupant that motion is taking place by moving the body of the occupant against the seat in the opposite direction to that in which the seat would have moved in a real vehicle. The effect of the sensations, combined with the appropriate visual and audio cues, is that the seat feels as though it is moving although it is actually stationary. Copyright Transforce Developments Ltd 5

6 The CyberSeat represents a paradigm shift in motion simulation. It is differentiated from all other motion products in several ways: It imparts direct body motion cues The seat frame itself does not move It uses electromagnetic drive actuators Its very fast (wide bandwidth) action opens new markets for simulators generally The mechanism is intuitive and easily understood It is simple to make It is silent and completely safe It has strong patent protection worldwide It has already established a strong market presence It will obviously become a must-have consumer product It has a two-way interface to the human body It is environmentally benign It consumes little power whilst producing strong body forces It is an Internet-related consumer product of a most unusual kind The unique feature of the CyberSeat is that the movement of the seat pan alone produces all the necessary motion sensations. Copyright Transforce Developments Ltd 6