DIY virtual reality helmet for PC. How to make a virtual reality helmet
Having your own virtual reality module has been a dream of many since childhood, and progress has already come close to creating such devices. In 2014, Google developers presented the world with a stunning invention that uses the capabilities of conventional Android smartphones. Right at the conference, any participant could assemble a virtual reality helmet out of cardboard and a few simple parts and appreciate the delights of three-dimensional graphics and atmospheric video with the ability to view in all 360 degrees.
Virtual reality on the cheap
Google Cardboard did not become a technological breakthrough, virtual reality helmets have existed for quite a long time, moreover, many are familiar with children's devices for viewing three-dimensional images. The ability of smartphones to navigate in space now, too, few people can be surprised, no, the public was surprised by something else. The simplicity and accessibility of the design is what really deserves attention, in addition, the developers have managed to release many applications by now that use this device to immerse themselves in virtual reality.
The developers of Google Cardboard opened all the technical documentation for the device, refusing to trade their invention, and manufacturers immediately picked up the idea. At the moment, there are many different models made of plastic, cardboard and even leather products. For under $20, you can purchase cardboard kits like the ones that were first introduced at the June 2014 Developers Conference. Also, instructions and diagrams are available to anyone, and it will not be difficult to assemble Cardboard with your own hands.
materials
The prices for a cardboard box are, of course, quite significant, but before you make a Cardboard with your own hands, you should know where to find or purchase other materials. We will need:
Electronic component - powerful smartphone
Let's now analyze all the components point by point, starting with models of suitable smartphones. Anyone can find the drawings invented by the developers for assembling Google Cardboard with their own hands. The sizes of phones suitable for such versions of 2.0 glasses are limited to a width of up to 83 mm and a diagonal of up to 6 inches. For other sizes, you will have to think through your own design, choosing the distances to the lenses empirically or look for an option from finished products in the store. Additional requirements 3D-glasses impose on the screen of the device. Remember, you will not just look at the phone screen from a very close distance, but you will get a magnification through the lenses. Of course, the better the screen, the less discomfort. At the moment, it is possible to use smartphones based on and above (from 4 iPhones) or Windows Phone 7.0 and above, but initially the entire system was conceived specifically for Android 4.1. Download any VR application and test your smartphone for compatibility by rotating it and watching the picture.
Housing material
It is not difficult to choose cardboard for the base of our glasses; a large pizza box has suitable parameters. Also, cardboard can be purchased at needlework stores or disassemble some ownerless box from household appliances. Too thick cardboard will be inconvenient to cut and bend, while thin, most likely, will not hold the lenses and the smartphone in a rigidly fixed position on the head.
Optics
Lenses are perhaps the most difficult, but they are the most important material for 3D glasses. Google recommends using lenses for Cardboard with a focal length of 45 mm, respectively, the dimensions of the virtual reality glasses themselves on the site are designed only for lenses with such a focal length. Thus, the desire to use other lenses, or perhaps a system of two or more lenses per eyepiece, will inevitably lead to a readjustment of the distance to the eyes and screen, thus changing the whole design. If you feel confident enough, it's worth experimenting, but it's much easier to order lenses.
Fasteners
As an attachment to the head, you can use a fabric elastic band or a Velcro strap. Stationery gum for the case is easy to find, and even easier to replace. After assembling the entire structure, it is only needed to hold the shape. You can simply glue the 3D glasses at all joints after adjusting the lenses with glue or tape. Two Velcro 15x20 mm will be needed to fix the closed cover with the inserted smartphone. In the absence of such, there are many options for fixing the cardboard cover, the main thing is to make sure that the smartphone does not fall out during the use of 3D glasses.
Additional controls
Magnets are needed to make an optional 3D headset control button on the case, and are only suitable for smartphone models with a built-in magnetometer. When creating a helmet for testing, you should not spend effort and money looking for suitable magnets. Such a button can be attached to virtual reality glasses separately after the device has been fully tested, or not installed at all. For long-lasting 3D glasses, you will need a neodymium magnet ring and a magnetic ceramic disk, both no larger than 3x20mm. You can also cut holes and control your smartphone with your fingers.
An NFC sticker is glued to the inside of the glasses, which allows the smartphone to automatically launch the necessary applications. You can probably find it in communication stores or in online stores, it is also not mandatory, and you can put it on somehow later.
Toolkit and safety precautions
The tool for work will need the simplest:
- Google Cardboard template. The drawings are in the article.
- A sharp knife, a durable clerical knife will do. Cardboard must be cut clearly along the lines of the template, especially the grooves and holes, so scissors will not do it here.
- Tape or glue.
- Rigid line.
Google claims that scissors are enough for the job, do not flatter yourself, thin slots and fixing grooves are much more convenient to cut with a blade.
The design turns out to be reinforced with stiffeners from the inside, so there is not much difference whether to cut a single pattern from a long piece of cardboard or assemble it from 2-3 parts, connecting them with adhesive tape. When cutting with a knife, be careful not to scratch the surface of the table or floor, take a special board for this purpose, for example, a cutting board from the kitchen. Particular care must be taken when cutting out holes for lenses, so that subsequently the lenses lie in the same plane perpendicular to the gaze.
Device assembly
Assemble according to the drawings, strengthen the frame with adhesive tape and carefully monitor the location of the lenses. In a fixed position, the cardboard will firmly press the lenses so that they do not move relative to each other. Next, you need to glue the Velcro as fasteners along the edges of the top side and on the inside of the lid, and also install the magnets in their place. At this stage, you can already try on 3D glasses to your head in order to determine the places of possible rubbing of the skin. When watching a movie for a long time, for example, these points can be very annoying, so you can additionally lay them with thin strips of foam rubber.
Is the sheepskin worth the candle?
The 3D glasses are ready, it remains to fix them on your head with an elastic band or a strap of your choice, insert a smartphone with a 3D application and enjoy virtual reality. In terms of the cost of the received device, there are many offers of ready-made kits priced under $10. You can save only if all the details are at hand or are easily accessible. If you order spare parts, taking into account various shipping costs and lead times, it turns out to be somewhat more expensive than buying a complete set. Naturally, if your dog bites the 3D glasses for sitting in VR instead of feeding or walking the animal, you can easily assemble new ones using the instructions above and the rest of the parts. In the meantime, you are looking for cardboard to replace the damaged one, in order to restore the Cardboard with your own hands, you can walk and feed the dog.
Device Capabilities
At the moment, there is already a tangible number of applications optimized for Google Cardboard and several films. Paired with headphones, virtual reality glasses may well replace a good 3D cinema, and games, according to users, despite their primitiveness, can add a strong sense of presence and atmosphere. For craftsmen and lovers of various technical tasks, it can be noted that it is possible to connect Cardboard glasses to a computer to use the virtual reality module in games. This is where the real immersion is.
Virtual reality is an amazing world, plunging into which you get a lot of unusual experiences. But in order to move into the three-dimensional dimension, you must have special glasses. They are quite expensive in the store, but it will not be difficult to make them at home. You only need to know how to make glasses for virtual reality with your own hands. The easiest way is to make an analog.
What will be needed for manufacturing?
In fact, for the manufacture of glasses you do not need to buy a large number of tools and materials. You only need to have:
- A gadget with which you will immerse yourself in the virtual world. It can be a smartphone or tablet (smartphone preferred)
The more modern the device is, the more effective the game will become. The size of your phone or tablet doesn't matter either. The only thing is that the smallest side should be equal to at least two distances between the pupils of the eyes. But taking too big a gadget is also not worth it, since the middle of each half of the frame should fall into the center of the pupil. It is necessary to adjust this parameter with the help of lenses, bringing them closer and further away from each other.
- You can't make a homemade VR helmet without lenses. There should be two pairs. It is better to choose glasses of large diameter. This is due to the fact that their minimum distortion is closer to the center. The larger the offset, the more the image is distorted. The small diameter of the glasses will not be able to cope with the difference between the pupils and the center of each half of the picture.
- You will need construction polyethylene 20 mm thick. It should be of medium density.
- In addition, you will need double-sided tape, as well as regular or vinyl film.
- The frame of the helmet will consist of cardboard. It should be micro-corrugated, and 2 mm thick.
- To fix the glasses, you will need a wide belt or elastic band. It is convenient to use the fastening with Velcro.
- Drawings are required to make a helmet. To create them, you will need tools for drawing and cutting materials.
All materials are inexpensive, and therefore the helmet will cost much less than the store.
Making a helmet
Before you make a virtual reality helmet with your own hands, you need to download applications for your Cardboard smartphone in advance, which will allow you to evaluate the quality of your future helmet.
Next, you need to start making frames for the first pair of glasses. It is made from a sheet of foam. It is recommended to adjust the lenses so that the distance between the eyes and the phone screen is minimal. To do this, the smartphone is placed on the table and, with the help of lenses, the focus is adjusted. After the desired distance is found, the holes can be cut with a centrifugal drill or a compass with a clerical knife.
Next, the frame for the second pair of lenses is made. Each glass should be placed in polyethylene. It gives a 3D effect. To achieve it, you need to choose the right focus. This can only be done by experimenting with glasses.
After that, you need to make a frame for the helmet. Here it is important to adjust the box to your anatomical features: the shape of the nose, skull, vision. The main thing is that the helmet was comfortable.
Sound output needs to be considered. This is where good headphones come in.
The next step is the correct location of the phone or tablet screen.
Important! The axis of symmetry, located horizontally, should coincide with the height of the represented line between the pupils.
The screen should be approximately 4 cm from the nearest edge of the eyepiece. Therefore, it is necessary to decorate the top, bottom, as well as the sides with foam. It should be a kind of box. It puts the screen of the gadget.
After everything is ready, you need to adjust the focus of the lenses again, if necessary, correct the location of the device.
The final stage is the manufacture of the outer frame of the helmet, which is made of cardboard. It turns out a box with a lid, inside which the mobile device is located. It protects the brittle foam fixture from damage. In addition, it is the cardboard frame that holds the bulk of the smartphone or tablet and presses it against the foam.
Now it remains only to attach the rubber band. You can attach it to the frame using double-sided tape.
You also need to make a hole for the USB cable.
The virtual reality helmet is ready! You can safely download games with a 3D effect to your device and enjoy an exciting storyline.
Recently, the technology of virtual reality is rapidly gaining popularity. However, while such devices are quite expensive and not available to everyone. A classic example is the Oculus Rift and its many counterparts. In this article, we will analyze in detail how to make virtual reality glasses, the feeling of using which will be quite comparable to more expensive factory devices. This miracle device is called Google Cardboard. So let's get started.
We need:
- sheet of paper or cardboard;
- scissors and stationery knife;
- glue for paper;
- Printer;
- a pair of plano-convex lenses;
- Velcro fastener for clothes;
- smartphone.
Template preparation
First you need to download a drawing with Google Cardboard dimensions with an electronic version of the template. The whole thing takes three A4 sheets and must be pre-printed on a printer.
Cardboard scheme for printing
Google often refines its products, and Cardboard is no exception. Therefore, the contents of the archive may change over time.
We cut out the template of the future device and carefully paste it on cardboard Case manufacturing
We bend the finished parts along the lines marked in red in the instructions. We make holes for plano-convex lenses with a focal length of 4.5 cm and mount the optical system. Lenses must be installed with the flat side facing the eyes.
The most difficult thing is to choose the right optics. Do-it-yourself lenses for Cardboard should be exactly the same, and the focal length should correspond to the distance from the smartphone screen to the eyes. This point is extremely important, since the degree of comfort when using glasses and image quality will depend on the choice of lenses.
3D smartphone apps
With the assembly over, you can start downloading and installing applications for virtual reality. If you intend to use a smartphone running OC Android, you can find and download this software on Google Play. It is better to search by the keywords "cardboard", "vr" or "virtual reality". As a rule, such programs are marked with an icon depicting Cardboard glasses.
Small but very important improvements
We attach a regular Velcro for clothes to the upper part of the glasses case so that the compartment for placing the smartphone can be fixed in the closed form. It is also recommended to make rubber straps to fix the device on the head.
Ready-made virtual reality glasses Google Cardboard Finished construction in action
We launch any of the previously downloaded 3D applications and fix the smartphone in the compartment intended for this, close the whole thing and fix it with Velcro. Ready! Now our homemade device will allow us to fully immerse ourselves in the mysterious virtual world.
To achieve even more comfort during use, you can equip the goggles with straps to securely fix them on your head. It is best to use two straps, one to wrap around your head at the back and one on top to keep the device from slipping.
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You still don't know how to make a virtual reality helmet? Then you are at the right place! Today we will craft VR glasses, called google cardboard. It was developed by Google engineers to bring this technology to the masses. And its design is so simple that any student can assemble it without spending a penny. Because it is made of cardboard and lenses taken from office magnifiers.
A huge number of devices for viewing content in VR mode have recently appeared on the market. Today, only the lazy does not produce such devices. The most famous of them are Oculus Rift, Sony Playstation VR, Samsung Gear, HTC Vive and many others.
But Google, as always, is ahead of the rest. They were able to make glasses from a simple piece of cardboard and a pair of lenses, and posted the drawings in the public domain so that everyone at home on their knees could assemble such a device. For this box from Google and received incredible popularity.
Video: how to make do-it-yourself virtual reality glasses
How does a virtual reality helmet work?
The full version has two OLED displays. Video is transmitted to them from a computer via cable and processed by the built-in processor. Two lenses focus the image from two screens into one, creating an immersive effect. Responsible for movement in space: gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer. And the infrared tracker is located in front of the player on the table, it is used in games and allows you to determine the position of a person in space.
Mobile glasses work on the same principle. But instead of electronic filling and screens, a telephone is used. On the screen of which two synchronous images are displayed. And the sensors of the smartphone are responsible for orientation in space.
How to make DIY google cardboard
Everything is much easier than it seems. If the house has cardboard and a couple of small magnifiers lying around, and you have an Android or iOS device, then you can craft a cardboard helmet with your own hands in half an hour.
Would need
- Drawing
- Cardboard size 60x40 cm.
- Two lenses with a diameter of 25mm
- Smartphone
Additionally, you will need a few more components that you can do without.
- Velcro for fixing (can be bought at a sewing store or removed from clothing)
- Neodymium ring and disc ceramic magnets (diameter 19mm and thickness 3mm)
- NFC sticker to interact with the phone
How to assemble?
- Print drawing
- Glue on cardboard
- Cut and assemble the box as in the picture
- Remove the lenses from the magnifying glass and insert into the box
- Launch a game or video in VR mode
- Insert your smartphone into the box and enjoy
google cardboard drawing
The body of Google glasses is made of cardboard, but no one forbids the use of other materials: plastic, glass, wood or polymers for 3D printing. It is enough to download the drawing and cut out the body according to it.
google cardboard helmet lenses
Lenses for a homemade virtual reality helmet can be bought on the Internet or pulled out of stationery magnifiers, binoculars, or made independently (in Jules Verne's book The Mysterious Island, Cyrus Smith glued two glasses from a clock with clay, filled it with water and got a magnifying glass to start a fire). Main parameters:
- biconvex
- Diameter 25mm
- Focal length 45mm
- Multiplicity 5-7x
- Made from glass for a clear image
Step-by-step instruction
1. Print the template.
2. Cut and glue blanks onto cardboard. The minimum height of the cardboard is 40 cm, so as not to glue parts of the body. It is better to take a size of 60x40 cm, all parts will fit on it.
3. Cut out the box layout.
4. Assemble a button that will press the screen. Glue the cut out button as shown in the diagram, and use a strip of food foil as a conductor.
5. Insert the lenses into the prepared holes and fix them with adhesive tape or "super glue".
6. The drawing shows the places where it is necessary to glue the Velcro with which the box is assembled without the use of glue and adhesive tape. But Velcro is not always at hand, so we will use good old adhesive tape.
7. Assemble the cardboard box.
8. Run the content on the smartphone, and install it in the box. VOILA ready!
Another advantage of this option is that you can style it for yourself.
Content
At the moment, there is a lot of content for VR glasses on the Internet. And big companies are making incredible investments in developing this technology. So there will definitely not be a lack of content.
Official app
If you have assembled a device and have not yet plunged into this world, then you can start with the official application for mobile platforms.
YouTube video in 360 mode
Open the YouTube app on your phone and type " video 360". When the video starts, press the button on the cardboard goggles and place it on the helmet.
Virtual reality games for smartphones and computers
In stores on mobile devices, entire sections for such glasses have already appeared. Just open the app store and search for " VR».
You can also stream any content directly from your PC to Android or iOS and use a wireless gamepad to control it.
Conclusion
Send drawings of glasses made of cardboard, plastic, 3D printer. Share ideas and experience of use.
Good afternoon (optional evening/night).
Today I will tell you about how you can make virtual reality glasses with your own hands, without phones(Traffic!):
FOREWORD
For now NO the official standard for VR goggles/masks and things like that. About Oculus, HTC, Samsung, Sony, etc. there is no point in talking and comparing. These are just devices with different functionality + / -, some gadgets. There is no point in arguing about what VR is, everyone sees it in their own way.
I have long wanted to play with this kind of thing, but phone glasses do not appeal to me, it is inconvenient, heavy and few applications, poor synchronization with the PC, phone battery, radio channel delay.
In the process of working on my experiment, 2 nuances that were important to me were highlighted:
1. Head tracking.
2. Display instead of phone.
Based on these nuances, I started building the unit.
I will say right away that the thing is in itself and does not pretend to be quality, everyone can repeat the manufacture of this helmet based on the instructions received.
ACCESSORIES
For glasses, I needed the following components:
materiel
The first thing to do is a warning:
All responsibility, namely independent penetration into the body of the finished product with subsequent violation of its integrity of performance, lies with the person who committed this action.
Frame:
The body will have to be assembled separately for the matrix, due to the fact that the matrix is quite voluminous and a different focusing distance is required. Lenses need to be replaced. From this body the part applied to the head and nose will be taken.
Controller:
The main task is to synchronize the controller with the matrix, I knew that the controller and the matrix would work, but whether I would get the necessary permission is another question.
Here's an excerpt from the datasheet: 
My display has an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a resolution that falls within the 1920x1440 range.
The problem is that the controller has the wrong resolution, and it needs to be flashed.
Initially, when connecting the display, instead of a picture, I got a set of stripes. (I even thought that the display itself was covered).
But after a while (when connected to a computer), it became clear that the display was outputting something, but it was clear that it had a problem with synchronization and resolution.
When flashing, I went through more than a dozen and settled on this version:
Now, when connected to a computer, the display shows information that the HDMI connector is connected and offers a resolution of 1024x600. In this case, the display is actively trying to receive a signal from the VGA, while the message appears - "Connect the VGA cable."
I had to scratch my head again. This controller is a direct analogue of boards with a large number of connectors, for example:
This means that you need to unsolder the buttons on your controller so that you can configure the display and switch operating modes. I am attaching the diagram for the connectors, the buttons hang on the 53rd leg of the chip:
Just in case, I am attaching the RTD2660 chip diagram:
After flashing and switching the controller to HDMI mode. The display began to start from under WIndows 7, my surprise was great when, in addition to the native, naive resolution of 1024x600, I was able to set the resolution to 720p and 1080p. At 720p it works fine, it doesn’t distort, but at 1080p the fonts are no longer readable, but it holds it just the same, surprise, running games at 720p is more fun than at 1024x600 (not all games support low resolutions).
Matrix:
I have already played with glasses on the phone, the resolution was 960x540. I launched Half-life 2, Portal, but I didn’t like that it was a phone and that you couldn’t look at the space with your head, rotated the mouse + Wi-fi delays, just pissed me off and didn’t let me play. In general, the pixels are visible, but I still liked it.
A 7-inch 1024x600 matrix was removed from the parts box, part number 7300130906 E231732 NETRON-YFP08. Based on the available resolution of the matrix, we can conclude that for each eye the resolution will be 512x600, which is slightly more than the phone screen resolution and, most importantly, there will be no delays.
The matrix connector has 50 pins and is fully compatible with the display controller. 
To achieve maximum contrast and juiciness of the image, you will have to remove the matte film from the matrix. Since the product will be closed, any glare is not terrible.
Matrix refinement is carried out in 7 stages:
1. parse the matrix along the edge of the frame;
2. put the module on the lining (here you can stick the edges of the module to the lining with adhesive tape so that water does not spoil the part);
3. a damp cloth is placed on top of the display, preferably the size of a matte film;
4. the napkin is gently soaked with a small amount of water about 25 degrees;
5. we wait about 2 - 3 hours, it all depends on the quality of the coating. (adhesive for matte films is sensitive to water);
6. gently pry off the edge and slowly, without jerking, remove the matte layer;
7. check.
If you want to collect points on a 2K display, then I will give you a link:
For this price on Ali, you can buy a finished device with FullHD ->
Therefore, I did not spend money on the concept and decided to use what is available for testing.
Arduino and gyroscope:
The most important part of getting the effect of presence in a game, application or video is the ability to control the head, which means we will write head tracking.
Excerpt from official source for Arduino Leonardo:
Unlike all previous boards ATmega32u4 has native support for USB connection, this allows you to set how Leonardo will be seen when connected to a computer, it can be a keyboard, mouse, virtual serial / COM port.
That's exactly what I need.
The gyroscope was chosen as the simplest and most common - GY521, it has an accelerometer on board:
1. Accelerometer ranges: ±2, ±4, ±8, ±16g
2. Gyroscope ranges: ±250, 500, 1000, 2000°/s
3. Voltage range: 3.3V - 5V (the module include a low drop-out voltage regulator)
Gyro connection:
#include
Based on the sketch, we can conclude that head tracking is essentially a gyro mouse.
CONCEPT
It all came down to the division into stages:
1. fitting head tracking;
2. writing tracker firmware;
3. ordering the necessary controller for the display;
4. setting up and launching the display with the controller;
5. fitting and general assembly.
This is how debugging a head tracker with a gyroscope looked like:
Head tracker video:
Launching a display with a controller:
To run the display, I need the Tridef 3D program, which allows you to run games and applications with the Side by Side image, which I used as a test.
The reason for using it is quite clear, these glasses will not be recognized as Oculus DK1 / DK2 glasses, and in order for the device to be recognized as VR glasses of at least the first revisions of the oculus, it is necessary to completely change the display controller software, which I can’t afford yet, so but either partial prototyping will be required, or a board concept should be created again based on such gyroscopes that are used in oculuses -
But due to the fact that I decided not to spend a lot on this project and I’m not going to make money on it either, we will leave this for other people. (I know who makes sets with oculus firmware based on such smart glasses, but I will not advertise them, the post is not about them)
Frame
Having played enough with the standard body, I decided to try on the matrix for it and was very disappointed, the matrix turned out to be too large for the focal length, I saw everything but did not see the whole picture, it did not add up into a single one.
The assembly of the hull began from scratch.
Having broken off all the protruding parts, as well as fastening the belt for the head, I received the following set:
Actually, like many prototypes, I chose corrugated cardboard as the most flexible, easily accessible material:
Testing
In the process of testing, the glasses showed themselves extremely well, it is a pleasure to play at 720p resolution. The gyroscope works fine and works out head movements, the mouse does not float along the coordinates, I passed the cable through my head behind me, 3 meters was more than enough.
Nuance:
The glasses stick out quite a lot, although the mass is not very large, you have to get used to turning your head.
The disadvantages of such a system:
1. You need a smaller matrix in order to reduce the length of the body.
2. We need high-quality lenses (for mine I took them from magnifiers in the nearest print shop).
In general, for myself, as an undemanding person will go.
As I play enough with all this, I will make an 8D projector out of this matrix and controller. (Watch the reviews)
Thank you for your attention, patience will be happy to answer your comments.
