Planet Arduino

The entire purpose of virtual reality (VR) is to improve immersion beyond what can be achieved with a regular TV or monitor. So it can be frustrating to VR users when the darkness in their peripheral vision reminds them that they are, in fact, wearing a headset. To improve the situation with Valve Index VR headsets without adding too much cost, Staton developed peripheral ambient lightning called VR Ambilight.

VR Ambilight works in the same way as Ambilight ambient backlighting for TVs and monitors. The system looks at the colors of the pixels around the entire outer border of the screen, then sets the colors of LEDs to match. That creates a gentle transition from the screen to the surrounding wall. When applied to VR, it extends the screen content into the user’s periphery. Because the user can’t see anything in their periphery in detail, the colored light is enough to maintain the illusion and eliminate breaks in immersion.

The only hardware components necessary for this system were an Arduino Nano board and two short strips of WS2812B individually addressable RGB LEDs. The LEDs mount inside of the Valve Index VR headset, with a thin sheet of translucent white plastic acting as a diffuser. Prismatik software works with Steam to detect the pixel colors along the screen edges, then uses a simple script to pass that along to the Arduino. The Valve Index has a handy USB port built-in, which helps to keep the wiring nice and tidy.

The post Add peripheral lighting to improve VR immersion appeared first on Arduino Blog.

A proper battlestation — or more colloquially, computer desk — setup can sometimes use a bit of technical flair to show off your skills. [fightforlife2] has shared their DIY ambilight monitor backlighting that flows through different colours which mimic what is displayed on the screen.

[fightforlife2]’s setup uses fifty RGB LEDs with individual controllers that support the FastLED library, regulated by an Arduino Nano clone — although any will suffice. The power requirement for the display was a bit trickier, ultimately requiring 3 amperes at 5V; an external power brick can do the trick, but [fightforlife2] also suggests the cavalier solution of using your computer power supply’s 5V line — adding the convenience of shutting off the ambilight display when you shut down your PC!

Connecting the LEDs to the Arduino is simply done, followed by adding the FastLED library and installing and configuring AmbiBox on your PC. For gaming, the software only works with borderless windows for games, but that puts a 5-10% tax on your processor. Be forewarned! — the ambilighing can be distracting when gaming for the first week or so.

If you want to carry this cool idea over into your other pursuits, you can — for example — set up a similar display around your piano.

[via /r/DIY]