The “Steampunk VR Scooter” attraction at Erlebnispark Schloss Thurn in Germany gives visitors a unique, futuristic VR experience with all the interactive fun of traditional fairground bumper cars
 The “Steampunk VR Scooter” attraction at Erlebnispark Schloss Thurn in Germany gives visitors a unique, futuristic VR experience with all the interactive fun of traditional fairground bumper cars

Gothenburg, 29th April 2019 --Qualisys, the leading provider of precision motion capture technology and 3D tracking systems has teamed up with VR experts HolodeckVR to develop the world’s first Virtual Reality bumper cars attraction, that was unveiled at the Erlebnispark Schloss Thurn theme park in Nuremberg, Germany on April 13th.

The “Steampunk VR Scooter” will take visitors into a Wild West style arena where they will compete against each other riding retro-futuristic steam engines.

Qualisys have delivered a multi-camera Miqus mocap system for the vehicles, involving the low latency tracking of 80 targets with hundreds of markers in the volume.

The company’s partnership with HolodeckVR has solved a long-standing issue around how best to introduce mocap technology into VR attractions. The quality of Qualisys tracking systems, along with its unique “daisy-chain” camera set-up, means many cameras can be connected easily despite the complex and demanding environment of a large-scale VR experience.

HolodeckVR have developed Steampunk VR Scooter alongside German Virtual Reality ride specialists VR Coaster, and together they have taken interactive Virtual Reality to a totally new level. Steampunk is more exciting and more immersive than any driving simulator or video games arcade. The attraction at Erlebnispark Schloss Thurn will make use of all features that VR has to offer: The perceived speed of the vehicles is much faster than real bumper cars, the arena is much bigger and it will lead the drivers past steep cliffs and giant abysses.

Guests will not only compete with each other, but also against giant robotic enemies that will confront the drivers. These can be defeated with teamwork and by taking advantage of the many extras and upgrades that can be picked up by players throughout the game.

Dr Stephan Otto, co-founder of HolodeckVR is excited about the launch: "The vision of VR bumper cars has been in our heads for a long time, and our tests from last year showed what is possible,” he said. “Qualisys mocap technology was the missing piece in the jigsaw. With their support, Steampunk VR Scooters has become a reality and changed the traditional bumper cars experience forever.”

“This is a fantastic achievement for HolodeckVR, VR Coaster and everybody at Erlebnispark Schloss Thurn,” said Martin Holmberg, Senior Motion Capture Specialist at Qualisys. “We are delighted to be a part of this groundbreaking new technology, and it shows that Qualisys continues to make great strides in the entertainment and VR sectors.”