Into the virtual world with the igus:bike
Cycling in a virtual environment? Many people will have heard of this – Zwift is certainly the best-known provider, but there are also various other platforms. The way it works is relatively simple: you need a bike (who would have thought it) and a compatible roller trainer. Data is transmitted from the trainer to a smart phone, tablet, computer or TV via Bluetooth. After taking out a subscription with your trusted provider, you can cruise comfortably through various virtual worlds or beat thousands of competitors in races.
Is igus now selling turbo trainers or indoor cycling apps?
And is igus offering something similar now? No, we even go one step further. Because with us, you don’t need an external monitor to be able to admire the virtual world. With us, you ride with a virtual reality headset and are right in the middle of the action! A full panoramic view is guaranteed – which is totally worthwhile, because the virtual world of the igus:bike is affectionately designed down to the smallest detail and there is a lot to discover.
Our trade show stand at the Eurobike 2023
And we are much more exclusive than the well-known platforms! Because our “roller trainer” including software is only available once. At least for the moment. You never know exactly where a journey can take you … The igus:bike, our sustainable plastic bicycle, is attached with two steel cables to a specially constructed structure, but is not completely fixed. The rear wheel runs on a special roller, and the front wheel can be steered. The values of the roller and the steering angle are sent to a PC, which calculates the position and speed in the virtual world and outputs them in real time as 3D video, which is displayed in the VR headset.
The idea behind the virtual cycling experience
All well and good, you might say, but what’s the point? The idea was to make the igus:bike tangible for trade show visitors. Of course, you can’t whizz through the trade show aisles on our plastic bike, so the idea of a special training roller was born. And since riding on a roller is not particularly exciting, we combined it with our iguverse (the metaverse from igus). This gives you a glimpse of what will be possible virtually in the future.
If you are interested in how virtual product development can work in collaboration with colleagues scattered around the world, how robots can be controlled remotely, how assembly can be simulated or how virtual training can be carried out on the product in a cost-effective manner -> Here you will find all the information about our vision of virtual possibilities.
Brief insight into the iguverse
In the real world, the team behind the bicycle VR installation recently enjoyed an absolute highlight: a nomination in the “nextReality.Contest” in the “Best Installation” category with the theme “Exploring the iguverse with the igus:bike”. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to take first place, but just being nominated for one of the most important awards in the industry was a special honour!
But back to the virtual cycling experience. Of course, this should be fun and arouse a little competitive spirit. That’s why there’s a high score. The motivation to be at the top of the list is inspiring. And is guaranteed to make you ride more than once 😉 There are also various goodies lying around on the track that need to be collected. Some of these are related to the igus:bike (rust-free, lubrication-free) and give you plenty of points. Other collected items also provide points or time credits.
Where can I go for a virtual bike ride?
Now that we’ve made your mouth water, would you like to explore the virtual world with the igus:bike? That’s easy – we’ll be at two bicycle trade shows in 2024, Cycling World Europe (Düsseldorf, 15 – 17 March) and Eurobike (Frankfurt, 3 – 7 July). You will also be able to broaden your cycling horizons at the HMI (Hanover, 22 – 26 April). Just drop by, talk to us and look forward to a virtual experience like no other!