Hand tracking is a key component in making natural interactions with augmented reality content, and one of the leading technology makers in this discipline has just improved on its tracking engine.
Ultraleap, the company emerging from the acquisition of Leap Motion by Ultrahaptics, has released a developer preview of the fifth version of its hand-tracking software that brings even more accurate tracking of two hands for AR interfaces.
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Continuing in its constellation-themed naming conventions for the software, the new version is called Gemini, which will succeed Orion.
"Our tracking engine is the part of our software that turns images into digital models of your hands. For Gemini, we rewrote this from the ground up. It makes our software far more flexible for different platforms and camera hardware," the company announced in a statement.
Ultrahaptics notes that Gemini's hand tracking performance is improved for two-hand interactions with improved "pose fidelity and robustness." In addition, Gemini brings better initial hand recognition and new screen-based modes, which enable tracking sensors to be mounted above a screen as opposed to a headset or desktop.
Gemini will be integrated into the Varjo XR-3 and VR-3 headsets as well as the reference design for Qualcomm Snapdragon XR-2 5G.
The developer preview is available for download now. Minimum requirements include an Ultraleap Leap Motion Controller or Stereo IR 170 camera module, a Windows 10 64-bit PC running Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processors, 2 GB of RAM, a USB 2.0 port, and the modules package v4.7.1 for Unity 2019 and above.
In addition to Leap Motion's own AR experiments for its Project North Star DIY kit, we've seen how revolutionary hand tracking can be through the interfaces of devices like the Microsoft HoloLens 2 and the Magic Leap 1. Continued improvements in all aspects of AR wearables will eventually result in a smoother experience for consumer-grade wearables from the likes of Apple when they do finally hit shelves.
Cover image via Varjo/YouTube
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