Spacewalk experience enabled through virtual reality

Felix & Paul Studios developed a custom-made model of the Z-Cam V1 Pro to take 3D, 360-degree pictures of space

Spacewalk experience enabled through virtual reality

Travelling to space is not so simple. It may take years and a very huge sum of money for ordinary people to experience space travelling. Even if you travel to space, being able to spacewalk will always be a rare opportunity. Maybe you’ll get to experience a spacewalking experience that will not be real but can be counted as a slice of the real experience. Episodes 3 and 4 of the series Space Explorers: The ISS Experience is allowing people to experience floating in space. To enable the experience, Felix & Paul Studios, which is among the series’ creators have developed a virtual reality camera. This camera is attached to the Canadarm 2 robot to capture a 3D and 360-degree view of the outsides of the space station. 

The camera developed by Felix & Paul Studios is a custom-made model of the Z-Cam V1 Pro which is available commercially. The nine 4K sensors present in it can capture 3D, 360-degree pictures in 8K resolution. The camera is adapted to severe conditions. So, it can withstand UV radiation, temperature fluctuations, and micrometeoroid impacts. The camera is placed in the Canadarm 2 robotic arm that is outside of the station’s external structure. 

The series’ executive producer for Time Studios Jonathan Woods has commented that such an attempt is the first of its kind. He added that the project was thought upon in 2015 and it is an unreal feeling that it is happening now. Time Studios is also a part of this project, together with NASA.

The episodes will come out this fall and winter. The experience will be available on 5G-enabled devices through popular carriers around the world. In South Korea, it includes LGU+, KDDI in Japan, Orange in France, and Deutsche Telekom in Germany. The experience will also be available as an immersive VR experience. This will be provided in the Oculus Store for the Rift, the Quest, and Quest 2 headsets.