Birdly VR system is a flight simulator of dreams

A Swiss artist and inventor called Max Rheiner has created a device called Birdly that is part art installation and part flight simulator. The system is a full body VR flight simulator designed to allow the user to feel like they are flying. The Birdly system requires the user to put on a VR headset and lay on their stomach on a motion table platform.

The user then stretches their arms out and places palms on flat plates Superman style. The flat platforms where the hands rest are force-feedback platforms that allow the user to use their arms like wings. Not only do those platforms allow the user to control their flight, they also offer simulated wind resistance.

A fan mounted on the front of the device blows air at the correct angle to give even greater sense of flight. The VR headset gives a high-resolution 3D video that allows the user to fly over major cities like New York, San Francisco, or an African desert.

The visual and aural information is liked to the motion table allowing the user full control. Rheiner designed the VR system from the ground up to give the user the feeling of flying in a dream. The video below shows what the video looks like inside the VR helmet. Plans are in the works to commercialize the system, pricing information is unannounced.

SOURCE: Discovery