New Ultraleap hand tracking accessory for Pico Neo 3 available through VR Expert

Attachable hand tracking accessory announced from natural VR/AR interaction leader Ultraleap with Pico Neo 3 Pro or Pro Eye as bundles in partnership with VR Expert. Currently, early access is in place for select developers, with the full release expected in the summer of 2022. 

No gloves or controllers: just hands

The new hand tracking hardware Ultraleap Stereo IR 170 is a hand tracking camera setup included in the Pico Neo 3 Pro and Pro Eye accessory kit. The new tracker runs Ultraleap’s latest software, 5th generation Gemini and will be pre-installed on the chosen headset. Furthermore, the two software engines, Unity and Unreal, are also included with the early access offer, with more tooling choices coming for the summer 2022 release.

Matt Tullis, VP, XR at Ultraleap, said: “VR for training is on the cusp of mainstream adoption and we truly believe hand tracking plays an important part in tipping it over the edge… This first phase of the Pico relationship will mean more developers and organisations will be able to test, pilot and refine their applications to unlock the true power of VR now and deploy at scale in a few months.”

Leland Hedges, GM for Pico Interactive Europe, adds, “We’re very excited to bring Ultraleap hand tracking to our latest VR headsets through this accessory. When applications need the highest performing hand tracking for complex interactions or challenging environments, Ultraleap’s hand tracking really is world-class.”

Hand tracking is the future

The goal of VR/AR is to be so natural that no prior expertise is needed, and a successful user interface of virtual and augmented reality is central to this happening. Ultraleap is pivotal to this development, and VR Expert is a core partner in pushing this to reality. The impressive feat of hand tracking is rooted in Skeuomorphism or natural interaction. Essentially, removing gloves or controllers lowers the barrier of entry into VR/AR and improves workflows for R&D design, onboarding, training, decentralized healthcare, and many other use cases. 

The specifications of Ultraleap’s hand tracking accessory

• Tracking range and field of view: Depth of between 10 cm (4”) to 75cm (29.5”) preferred, up to 1 m (39”) maximum; 170×170° typical field of view (160×160° minimum). Tracking works in a range of environmental conditions
• Cameras: Stereo infrared operating at 90fps
• Operating wavelength: 850nm. Provides its illumination via two infrared LEDs spaced on either side of the cameras
• Tracking fidelity: Superior pose accuracy
• Hand diversity: Tracks diverse hand sizes
• Multi-gesture compatibility: Interact with both hands together

Conclusion

Pico Neo 3 Pro is often compared to the Quest 2 headset due to similar specifications. One area the Quest 2 was superior was in hand tracking, however, with this new accessory from UltraLeap the Neo 3 Pro can now truly compete.