The progression of the table tennis paddle Image credit: Florian Auté
Mechanical engineers developed a 3D-printed paddle that replicates the feel of real racket use in the VR table tennis game Eleven.
Eleven: VR Table Tennis
The advancement of today's technology has allowed us to experience things even without exactly doing it in the real setting. Virtual reality is a simulated experience and is created to allow us to experience a virtual environment as if we were there.
Games in the Oculus VR has promised an immersive gaming experience built to provide realistic VR gaming experiences. But there are times when it is not complete without the controller feeling like a real gun when playing a first-person shooter game or a table tennis racket in the case of the game Eleven-which offers realistic environments and physics that stimulate classic game of ping pong.
This led the two mechanical engineers, Florian Auté and Alexis Roseillier to replicate the feel of a real racket in the VR table tennis game by developing a 3D-printed paddle, grip, and holder for Oculus Touch controller.
3D-printed Racket
In January, Auté began prototyping a way to incorporate the Oculus Touch with a standard table tennis racket grip then he and his girlfriend worked on the initial prototypes as they focused on connecting the Oculus Touch controller to an existing paddle grip.
With the help of his friends Alexis Roseillier and his wife who knows 3D product design and development, they began the work on new designs for a 3D printed grip.
While also positioning the gravity to more closely match a real table tennis, they were able to create a 3D-printed racket/paddle holder that securely holds an Oculus Touch controller.
Its total weight according to the creators is 167 grams (but may vary depending on the material used and the type of AA battery in the Quest controller). The buttons were not blocked by the paddle and are still accessible while locked into the 3D printed mount.
The tracking can also be used with the table tennis shake hand grip and placing your index finger at the back of the paddle as it remains stable while in the grip according to Auté.
Eleven offers a customized orientation of the paddle in-game. They also said that they are planning to add a custom preset in the game that will easily adjust the orientation of the simulated racket to work with the grip without the need for manual alignment.
The 3D model was posted in Thingiverse which will allow others to download the files with instructions on the page and print the models using their 3D printers. The print requires two M4 screws, one with a 10mm thread length to lock the controller in place and another with 35mm thread length for the hinge.
A video with this new accessory is posted by the creators and originally posted in Reddit to show how it works.
It also works with second-generation of the Oculus Touch's controllers which ship with both the Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S headsets. Different creators also made an earlier 3D print for the original Oculus Rift Touch controllers.
