Virtuix is a VR hardware manufacturer working in active virtual reality, and the developer of the popular Virtuix Omni™ motion platform.
Started before the Kickstarter that breathed life to the platform in 2013, founder and CEO Jan Goetgeluk started in 2011, “Microsoft had just launched the Kinect, and hackers had started to break into the device and create fascinating applications. I realized that the Kinect, with its ability to track someone’s full body optically without the need for cumbersome sensors, could be a game changer for full body virtual reality. We initially explored potential software applications for the Kinect, but the true missing link in full body VR is a locomotion device that allows you to walk around in the virtual world. No omni treadmill exists that is affordable to household consumers or fits in a living room, so we are trying to fill this void. After extensive research, experimenting and prototyping, I believe we have accomplished to develop the first omni treadmill that meets three crucial objectives: being affordable to household consumers, being compact enough to fit in a living room, and above all, enabling a user to walk freely and naturally in virtual environments.”1
In 2013, Virtuix took to Kickstarter to help fund the creation of an omnidirectional treadmill for VR gaming that he called the Omni. The company raised $1.1 million and began building and delivering more than 3,200 Omni treadmills.2
In 2016, the company released a “mini-IPO publicly,” raising $2.5 million in the first 24 hours from over 500 private investors, 2020 Ventures, Scentan Ventures, Western Technology Investment, Tekton Ventures, and Scout Ventures.3
Anonymous on March 10, 2020