3DRudder Hands (Well, Feet) On: Intuitive, Addictive, Impressive

When we caught wind of the 3DRudder, we were honestly a bit skeptical. It's a chunky foot controller with multiple sensors that's designed to make 3D modelling and VR games easier to navigate and more immersive. It was crowdfunded (but has not yet reached its goal of raising $50,000) and promises to cost around $130 at retail.

But when we got some hands-on (feet-on, whatever) time with the 3DRudder at CES, we were downright impressed.

The device is remarkably intuitive and surprisingly precise. It took us just a couple of minutes to feel comfortable and adept at using it to zoom all around an AutoCad program the company had set up. 3DRudder has four sensors, and depending on which functions you enable with software, you can perform the following actions:

• Zoom in or out by tilting your feet forward or backward
• Rotate around an object by swiveling your feet left and right
• Move up and down in an image by tilting your toes in opposite directions
• Strafe by tilting your feet left or right together

The 3DRudder team is excited about this device, and they should be. We'll look forward to spending more time with it down the road.

Update, 1/12/15, 7:10am: Edited to reflect that 3DRudder has not yet met its crowdfunding goal. The campaign will close on January 22 at 11:59 PT.

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