VIRTUAL BIKE

Overview

Virtual Bike has its own website. You can follow it on the official Virtualbike web page!

Virtual Bike is an interactive installation that merges physical exercise with immersive digital exploration. Conceived as a bridge between urban space and digital media, the project allows visitors to “ride” through the streets of Rome’s San Lorenzo neighborhood without leaving the exhibition space. By pedaling a real bike connected to a multimedia system, users experience an authentic sense of movement and discovery, transforming passive video viewing into active embodied interaction.

Concept and Origins

Developed by Paolo Ciabattoni and Luca Palmili, Virtual Bike originated as a creative response to the need for new ways of experiencing public spaces. The installation was first showcased in cultural events such as MakerFaire European Edition in Rome, where it attracted a wide audience of tech enthusiasts, artists, and cyclists eager to test this hybrid between fitness equipment and immersive art. The project’s mission was to make urban exploration accessible, playful, and educational—even for those unable to physically navigate the city.

Technical Approach
The system integrates hardware and software components to synchronize a rider’s physical activity with real-world video footage:

• Video capture: Real streets filmed with action cameras such as GoPro to produce high-quality immersive footage.
• Hardware setup: A stationary bike equipped with Arduino-controlled sensors including an IR sensor and a speedometer to detect pedal rotation and wheel speed.
• Software engine: Quartz Composer on Mac using the OSC protocol to receive real-time data from Arduino and adjust the video playback accordingly.

This pipeline ensures that as the user pedals faster, the video accelerates; when the user slows, the video slows down, simulating the natural flow of cycling.

Step-by-Step Process

1. Shoot the Path: Capture authentic city footage with an action camera, creating immersive video loops of urban routes.
2. Build the Bike: Assemble sensors, Arduino board, and OSC communication to bridge the physical and digital worlds.
   
3. Turn Your Bike Into a Virtual Bike: Synchronize pedal motion with real-time video playback, simulating a first-person cycling experience.
   
4. Enjoy the Ride: Visitors pedal through Rome’s neighborhoods, experiencing the rhythm of the city in a fully interactive installation.

First Feedbacks

Visitors immediately feel a physical connection to the virtual environment. By aligning exertion with exploration, the installation provides an accessible and enjoyable form of active learning about urban spaces. It can be adapted to other locations and themes—such as historical tours, natural landscapes, or educational routes—making it a flexible framework for immersive storytelling.

Virtual Bike showcased how low-cost sensors, open-source software, and creative coding can democratize immersive technologies. By transforming a simple bicycle into a gateway to virtual exploration, it inspires new ideas in fields ranging from smart cities to fitness and rehabilitation, offering a template for future interactive installations worldwide.

Project Evolution and International Recognition

After numerous public exhibitions, Virtual Bike underwent a major evolution. We completely rewrote the software using Unity3D, creating a powerful in-house editor to interpret video perspectives and overlay augmented reality (AR) elements directly onto the streetscape. This upgrade enabled the introduction of gamified experiences such as collectible gold coins, crates to avoid, teleporters, power-ups, and speed boosts—transforming the installation from a passive urban ride into an immersive interactive game.

MakerFaire Success
We premiered this enhanced version at the first Italian edition of MakerFaire, where it received widespread acclaim and multiple critics’ awards. The installation attracted so much attention that the official MakerFaire organizers, visiting Rome for the inaugural edition, invited Virtual Bike to represent Italy at MakerFaire San Francisco. This marked the project’s international debut, bringing our innovative blend of cycling and immersive technology to a global audience.

From Prototype to Market Vision
In San Francisco the project achieved remarkable success, sparking serious discussions about launching a Kickstarter campaign to commercialize the platform. Back in Italy, Virtual Bike was presented to Technogym and other potential investors to explore partnerships for a large-scale rollout. Although these collaborations did not move forward, the project continues to stand as an open invitation to innovators, investors, and creative partners interested in shaping the future of active immersive experiences.

If you are interested in contributing to or investing in the next stage of Virtual Bike, get in touch—we’re always open to new ideas and opportunities to push the concept further.