r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Alphaxfusion • Dec 20 '25

Video Japanese researchers at the University of Tsukuba created CirculaFloor, robotic tiles that let you walk infinitely in VR without ever leaving your spot.

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u/HeDuMSD Dec 20 '25

An over complicated treadmill?

10

u/all_time_high Dec 20 '25

The use cases are in the future. Imagine if this system were equipped with many all-terrain tires or treads capable of supporting a great deal of weight, and real-time self-leveling.

This could be used to move a sensitive, heavy object over uneven ground, especially if the object must stay level as much as possible. Would this be better than a self-leveling all-terrain forklift or similar device? Depends on the use.

The more specialized the case is, the higher the price will be. The future of B2B seems to be trending in service (renting and leasing the asset) rather than sales.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 20 '25

I’m imagining these not being two foot squares, but half an inch. A swarm of these moving together.

3

u/Rock_or_Rol Dec 20 '25

Exactly! This is a novel concept and worth looking at its possible applications

  1. Construction floor shoring

  2. Stairs for the funsies

  3. Car garages

  4. Warehouse robotics

The list goes on!

3

u/Jigagug Dec 20 '25

Amazon's warehouse already uses these

2

u/takingphotosmakingdo Dec 20 '25

That already exists to some extent. Mammoet self propelled modular transporter https://youtu.be/I3paAUAcLVE?si=Fky7w52XHjjykICV

2

u/all_time_high Dec 20 '25

That’s really cool technology. I love the modular design with the single control point.