CES 2019: Birdly VR machine simulates flying — VIDEO
George Wong of Florida tries out VR by Birdly, which allows users to experience flight, at the Sands Expo and Convention Center during CES in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto
George Wong of Florida tries out VR by Birdly, which allows users to experience flight, at the Sands Expo and Convention Center during CES in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto
One of the drawbacks to virtual reality is that, no matter how cool the experience appears on the inside, the user is bound to look like a goof to bystanders.
Birdly, the full-body immersion experience that simulates flight, just may be worth the added embarrassment, though.
Developed by Somniacs, a spinoff from the Zurich University of the Arts, the equipment resembles something you’d find in a top-of-the-line medical office — or a particularly sadistic gym. Participants lie face-down on the machine, using their arms to flap their “wings.”
The experience at CES puts users into the body of a pterosaur, complete with all the appropriate flora, fauna and Jurassic-era dinosaurs below. There’s even a fan blowing in your face to approximate wind.
