Ultraleap launches Hyperion: its next generation of hand-tracking software

In General XR News

May 9, 2024 – Ultraleap, a provider of extended reality (XR) technologies such as hand tracking and mid-air haptics, has this week launched Ultraleap Hyperion, the successor to the company’s hand-tracking software, Gemini.

What is Ultraleap Hyperion?

Hyperion is a flexible platform gives users greater control over their hand tracking interactions, allowing them to tune different parameters and switch between models to suit their application. Ultraleap stated that the platform “showcases a step change in the performance, power and flexibility of hand tracking.” Unlike other “one-size fits all” tracking solutions on the market, Ultraleap Hyperion offers a combination of tracking models and modes to deliver a reliable, flexible solution that meets unique business needs, according to the company.

What are the key features of Ultraleap Hyperion?

Key Ultraleap Hyperion features include:

• Microgesture interactions: Hyperion can track small finger movements down to the millimeter, enabling subtle gestures that require minimal effort.
• Robust when handling objects: Hyperion offers robust hand tracking while a user is holding a physical object or prop in their hand, making it well suited for mixed reality applications.
• Object tracking: Hyperion allows the company’s Leap Motion Controller 2 camera to track augmented reality (AR) markers (also known as fiducial markers), allowing for the tracking of any object.
• Performance switching: Hyperion offers new modes including a low-power mode that enables hand tracking to run with reduced power consumption, and a high-performance mode that delivers accurate finger mapping with low latency when computer processing power is unrestricted.
• Expanded tracking capabilities: Hyperion enables direct access to the Leap Motion Controller 2 stereo IR camera hardware, expanding its use to other computer vision tasks, like depth sensing, 3D scanning, and object tracking.

Who is Ultraleap Hyperion for?

Ultraleap noted that Hyperion was designed with headset manufacturers and application developers in mind. Its additional features can be selected directly within the platform, without the need for computer vision experts or software engineers.

The company added that its Leap Motion Controller 2 now also comes bundled with a commercial license to automatically access Hyperion’s features and use them to develop, use and sell new applications.

Additionally, Ultraleap stated that with Hyperion it can further train hand tracking models for additional specific use cases and custom-tune models within days rather than months, increasing speed to market for customers.

What platforms does Ultraleap Hyperion work with?

Finally the Ultraleap Hyperion platform is also compatible with a wide range of hardware solutions, including integrated XR headset cameras for SLAM or peripherals (such as Ultraleap’s Leap Motion Controller 2). Hyperion will also support the requirements of the next generation of augmented and mixed reality devices that feature substantially smaller form factor sizes.

Tom Carter, CEO and Co-Founder of Ultraleap said: “Our team at Ultraleap has well over a decade of experience creating innovative market-leading hand tracking solutions, and with Hyperion we raise the bar again. Thanks to our machine learning and computer vision capabilities, Ultraleap Hyperion allows users to unlock the Leap Motion Controller 2’s broader computer vision capabilities, enabling a number of new tracking possibilities for our partners and customers.”

When and where is Ultraleap Hyperion available?

Ultraleap Hyperion (v6), which replaces the previous Gemini (v5) version of the company’s software, is available today from the Ultraleap website, Amazon and select distribution partners, bundled with the company’s Leap Motion Controller 2 and includes a license for commercial use.

For more information on Ultraleap and its hand-tracking solutions, please visit the company’s website.

Image credit: Ultraleap