This Techie Backpack Lets You Walk Around In Virtual Reality
HP has unveiled a computer built into a backpack that enables the wearer to move around in a virtual reality (VR) world.
The idea is that owners of VR devices like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive can plug in their headset and move around, without having to worry about being tethered to a stationary laptop.
The backpack is reportedly powered by a separate battery-toting belt.
The gadget doesn’t have a name or a price tag yet, but HP is planning to make it available to VR software developers very soon.
Tech firm MSI has also unveiled a VR-based backpack computer, though with a noticeably bulkier design.
MSI’s version - known as the Backpack PC - takes the form of a portable desktop PC, with the maker so far keeping quiet on exactly how much it weighs.
MSI’s Backpack PC is noticeably less svelte than HP’s version (MSI)
While the idea of a wearable computer may sound ridiculous, tech compnaies are looking ahead to figure out ways of making VR headsets more accessible and useful, as most high-powered devices need to be rigged up to a computer.
The alternative is low-cost VR headsets like Google’s Cardboard and Brian May’s OWL VR Smartphone viewer which both work with smartphones.
Image credit: HP
