In my previous post, I mentioned two projects I would be working on: creating a hybrid VR shoe/slider and a mecanum wheel.

Hybrid VR shoe/slider

In the last post I explained how I made a cheap slidemill and walking on it was very unstable. To improve stability and allow for omnidirectional movement, I designed a slider with a row of wheels on the bottom to keep the foot moving in a straight line while still allowing for sideways movement. So I came up with this design.

The is meant to go on the right foot. The bottom of the slider has a row of wheels under the left side of the right foot. The rest of the slider is covered with a silicone pad. This overall design is very similar to my current pair of VR shoes, but it's mostly 3D printed instead of being made out of aluminum.

Initial testing with one slider have been successful. It feels much more stable than the last time I walked on the simple slidemill, yet I can still easily move my foot sideways. I now need to make the left foot slider.

Mecanum wheel

I managed to make a design for a mecanum wheel that has a 2.063in diameter. I'm going to need to make 3 more and mount them onto a shoe-like frame and see if they work well. I'll be checking how bumpy they are, if they can move nicely under my weight, what kinds of surfaces I can use them on, and how loud they are.