Motion Vision Entertainment

Greetings!

A family friend and I have been chipping-away at starting an out-of-home entertainment business, based design created by a robotics enthusiast, Walt Noon. Walt originally created this VF-2000 to be used as a controllable flight simulator - utilizing a hooded multimedia system - but with the recent advancements in VR, we're looking to use this model in conjunction with an Oculus Rift, providing pre-programmed "on rails" experiences. NOTE: These are pneumatically powered 2DOF machines intended to wow and thrill, and are probably not as accurate as most of the projects here. (This thread can be moved to the commercial section if necessary, but I posted in here because at this point in time, these machines a definitely more of a DIY project and are currently not for sale like many of the more refined products I've seen in there.)

I am admittedly NOT very knowledgeable in this field, but am looking to learn what I can. I've had my eye on SimTools for some time, but with our hope to become a commercial enterprise, I was unsure if we'd be approved or even able to afford a professional license.

However, with the recent release of 2.0, and its hopefully amazing Video Ride Creator and Video Ride Player, we might be able to replace our current motion control software with SimTools!

Anyway, here are a few renderings of the simulators. I currently do not have the blueprints on hand, but will update this thread with more technical information and actual photos soon.








The motion control boards were built by a gentleman in the UK, by the name of John Wale, so are a proprietary design. I will get pictures up soon to see if anyone can decipher them (or I can contact John again for more technical information) but have no problem replacing the boards with Arduinos or JDK controllers if necessary to work with SimTools. All I know about our current setup is that the software "fires and forgets" the data to our current boards over a RS-232 serial connection at 115,200 BAUD.

I have tried every combination of settings to see if SimTools legacy would communicate with the machines but cannot get any response at all. I hope to find some help in here, as this software seems like a great alternative to finding and waiting on a programmer to develop a custom interface.

Thanks for looking - I'm happy to answer any questions I can!

-Scott

Who is your intended consumer?

To begin with, I'm looking at concentrating on the "out of home entertainment" market, deploying a few of these babies anywhere there's a crowd. I have a history with shopping malls, as I used to run a couple of SR2 machines in the 2000's and did fairly well. However, I'm learning that malls aren't what they used to be, so I'll probably end up supplementing a small fleet with some festival work, like my friend has been using them for over the past few years.

Ultimately, I'd like to begin producing them for people like myself to deploy as turn-key operations, much like Doron and other companies have done in the past. They might not have the throughput of a 12 passenger capsule, but are much more portable and, in my experience, are making a much better impression on people. I haven't compiled much media yet, but here's an older video of the very first public demo.

What is your price target? What is your annual sales units perspective?

It's too early to say. I'm still waiting on a parts list to see what cost on a unit will be, as one hasn't been built from scratch in several years. My associate guesses between $7k and $10k (cost!) but I honestly don't see how the numbers could be that high.

Also no idea what an annual sales forecast would look like, as I haven't even begun to research this market. Again, I'm not sure if these would be appealing to home enthusiasts, due to the price and the inaccuracy of the pneumatic valves, so I would definitely be looking toward those more interested in exhibition.

I anticipate your sales price to be even greater then that. I would estimate between 15 and 20k. You most likely are not going to be selling these to casual users and your market share opportunity is going to be small. Your market for something like this is to arcades and the rich. Arcades are not going to like such an open design which only safety feature for the user is reliant on a fabric seat belt strap. Generally they need something that is more reliable and able to be used by hundreds of users daily/weekly.

1. Space is an issue
2. Parts are costly
3. Niche product
4. Production cost for framing your cage
5. Legal / Insurance
6. Customer Training

Just a few things that come to mind. I wish you luck but I have seen these ideas come and go after the reality of the ROI comes front to face.

Sorry if I didn't emphasize the cost enough, or used incorrect terminology, but yeah: $7-10k is what was estimated for parts alone. A retail price would probably be around $20k per unit.

These things are surprisingly rugged though, and have been approved for use by agencies in almost ten states, including California (which, as I'm sure you know, is notorious for regulation). The renderings may not highlight the restraints well enough, but we use four-point harnesses that are holding up well after many thousands of customers. They support upwards of 300lbs, but we cut-off at 290. Ages 5 and up.

I guess I forgot to mention that my associate has been running these at state fairs and various festivals for the past five years and has had very few issues. I've been testing the waters with two in a local shopping mall for several months now, with no mechanical issues whatsoever (knock on wood). They're workhorses!

The biggest drawback I see to these being adopted by arcades and other exhibitions is the attention required to run them. The machines hold up, are easy to operate, and have proven to be safe... but labor is expensive. I know that many looking to invest in a concept like this might be more interested in coin-operated devices that you can set and forget.

But one person can manage four at a time (it is definitely work, though!) which can generate upwards of $300/hr in the right environment @ $7/per person.

Insurance runs about $1k/year, so it's surprisingly not too bad.

I am concerned about covering the frames (I'm using some temporary wooden bodies right now) but will be looking into fiberglass bodies or other forms of repeatable fabrication soon.

I greatly appreciate your input and wisdom, but am honestly not too focused on the sales end of these right now; we'll just have to see what happens.

My uncle successfully ran a nationwide fleet of SR2 simulators for many years and did well enough to retire. If I can follow his business model and deploy a station of two or four of these machines in half-a dozen malls within a days drive, I'll be making a very comfortable living... and that's really all a guy like me is after