philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Mack Trucks Offers Virtual Reality Rides in Certain Models

Mack Trucks said it now offers an online virtual reality test drive of models equipped with its mDrive HD 13-speed automated manual transmission, calling the experience a first for heavy-duty truck manufacturers. Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly physical way by placing the viewer’s perspective within the image or video itself, Mack said. Using virtual-reality headgear, Google Cardboard or a smartphone, viewers can look around 360 degrees to see the cab interior in its entirety as well as see what it feels like to be in the cab of a Mack model while it operates in quarries and on the highway, according to the Greensboro, North Carolina-based company. Mack is a unit of Sweden-based Volvo Group. For example, the virtual-reality experience showcases the power of its mDrive HD 13-speed as it frees the Mack Granite model from mud on a job site; as it easily drives up and down a steep grade without having to continuously apply brakes, reducing brake wear-and-tear; and as it smoothly manages a fully loaded Mack Pinnacle model up and down a 15% and a 20% grade, according to Mack. To experience Mack virtual reality, visit  http://www.macktrucks.com/VR. The virtual-reality videos also will be posted to the Mack website, but will not be as immersive as when Google Cardboard and the app are used, according to Mack.
See the original post with 360 video here: http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=42668