Tennessee Patent of the Month – March 2022
Emotional Ideas, Inc. is set on gamifying go-kart racing. They had the idea of bringing the engaging aspects of video game racing into the real world to create a hyper immersive gaming technology. One of the most engaging aspects of any racing video game is the use of “power-ups” or “weapons” that might be used to get ahead of others in the race. If these could be safely replicated in a go-kart race, we could effectively have real life Mario Kart, or in Emotional Ideas words, “Battle Racing” – the next evolution of Competitive Motorsports.
To bring this emotional idea to life, the company has developed their own proprietary go-kart style vehicle. The vehicle combines real life action with in-game virtual enhancements. This means virtual weaponry, virtual power-ups and a connection with the other cars on the track. Each car is outfitted with a series of sensors, transmitters, and receivers to communicate with each other.
Their Battle Racing cars are hyper immersive and use multi-sensory systems to bring the weapons and power-ups to life. If one player gets a “freeze” weapon and uses it on a second player, this second player’s cart will register the weapon and freeze for a few seconds.
Their virtual arsenal includes items such as
- Battle Rage;
- Vortex Shield;
- Freeze Ray Cannon;
- Laser Blaster;
- Turbo Boost; and
- Oil Slick.
When one of these tools are being used, an LED light built into the protective frame of the go-kart lights up to alert other players. If you got the Turbo Boost, the light might go green to indicate your improved speed. If you took damage from a Freeze Ray Cannon, it might go red to show your weakened state. With these virtual enhancements, Battle Racing is sure to be an exciting advancement in the go-kart world.
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