In Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality News
January 11, 2024 – Ultraleap, a provider of extended reality (XR) technologies such as hand tracking and mid-air haptics, has recently announced that is working with Goertek, a virtual reality (VR) headset manufacturer, to bring to market the next generation reference design for VR and mixed reality (MR) headsets with pre-integrated hand tracking from Ultraleap.
The new reference design, which is available now, follows on from last week’s announcement on Qualcomm’s VR and MR reference design HMD (which also included a partnership with Goertek), and instead involves the combination of Goertek’s headset design and manufacturing capabilities with support for Gemini – Ultraleap’s hand tracking platform. According to the Ultraleap, the new reference design will now make it even easier and faster for OEMs to bring hand tracking interactions to their customers.
For the first time, Ultraleap’s computer vision and machine learning models allow hand tracking to run on the cameras used for SLAM and controller tracking with LED lighting. Ultraleap stated that this will help to substantially reduce the cost of integrating hand tracking for OEMs and headset manufacturers, while still delivering a highly differentiated tracking performance that is synonymous with the company’s hand tracking solutions.
In today’s new XR headsets, hand tracking has become a mandatory feature, as many UX designers are determining that natural gestures are a superior interaction method for users in immersive experiences. As a result precise and high-quality hand tracking can help to significantly increase the ability to make users feel more immersed in training, enterprise and consumer experiences.
Tom Carter, CEO at Ultraleap, said: “We believe natural hand interactions will be to VR what touch was to smartphones. Integrating Ultraleap’s hand tracking directly onto existing camera sensors makes it very easy for customers to design and launch new headset products. This outstanding collaboration means that companies looking to launch new VR headset products can now easily develop a headset built with the world’s best hand tracking from the world’s leading headset manufacturer. It’s an unbeatable combination.”
Marvin Chang, Corporate Vice President, Global Head of Marketing at Goertek, said: “Goertek is committed to providing excellent overall solutions for XR headsets, and this integration with Ultraleap shows that we can bring best-in-class, cutting edge technology like hand tracking, in a manufacturable form factor direct to the world’s biggest OEMs.”
Chang also added that the timing of the announcement reflects a growing demand for natural interaction that is being seen across the XR industry, and the combination of the two companies’ technologies in the new reference design will help OEMs to reduce time-to-market for their next-generation VR headsets.
Ultraleap’s hand tracking technology has been developed over 10 years using artificial intelligence, machine learning and computer vision. However, its technology is not just limited to XR, and has a wide range of applications across industries including automotive, digital signage, industrial automation, consumer electronics and location-based entertainment, to enhance natural interaction between people and technology.
For more information on Ultraleap and its hand tracking technology, click here. To learn more about Goertek and its VR solutions, click here.
Image credit: Ultraleap / Goertek
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About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.