'HoloTile Floor' enables seamless omni-directional movement in virtual worlds

In old age, many people get advice from doctors to walk outdoors as much as possible. However, not everyone can do so for various reasons. In today's era, technology has provided solutions to such challenges.

In a recent development, Disney Research introduced a tool called 'HoloTile Floor,' presented by American electrical engineer Lanny Smoot on the Disney Parks YouTube channel in a video titled 'Disney Imagineer Makes History.'

In the video, Smoot shares, "I can walk on this omni-directional floor in any direction I want."

He highlights that the HoloTile Floor supports multiple people walking on it simultaneously in different directions.

Essentially, these tiles work together to create a multidirectional treadmill, ensuring individuals on it remain within the designated area.

According to Smoot, it can be used in rooms where multiple people collaboratively need to be somewhere else, allowing them to move around and perform different tasks.

The HoloTile

This innovation named magical floor promises to enhance VR/AR experiences, bringing us one step closer to the HoloDeck. pic.twitter.com/q554tPsxth

— ScienceSeeker (@marStarship1) January 29, 2024

Besides facilitating walking in virtual reality with headsets like Apple Vision Pro, it could find applications on dance floors, enabling dancers to showcase various moves while staying in one spot.

The demo also illustrates using the HoloTile floor to move objects from one place to another.

The HoloTile Floor comprises small tiles equipped with ultrasonic transducers.

These transducers instantly control the surface's friction, making it either slippery or sticky, facilitating the movement of people or objects in their desired direction.

This technology is in the early stages of development and it is too early to determine if it will be available for purchase in the future.