Ultrahaptics and Leap Motion, both leaders in mid-air haptics, contactless interfaces and hand tracking technologies, have announced a deal that will combine their expertise with hope of making the technology more mainstream for the likes of designers and engineers.
Ultrahaptics’ technology projects ultrasound-driven tactile sensations onto users’ hands to let them ‘feel’ and interact with virtual objects and controls in mid-air, with no need for wearables, controllers or touchscreens.
Leap Motion is a world leader in hand tracking technology that can be embedded into any product, including VR and AR headsets, and has been licensed for everything from design software to medical training.
Ultrahaptics technology creates the sense of touch with objects that aren’t there
The combination of teams and their technologies will accelerate innovation and enhance commercial applications, meaning improving current solutions and driving new forms of contactless interactive products.
Commenting on the announcement, Ultrahaptics CEO Steve Cliffe, said: “We are building a company to support the changes between human and machine interaction that will define the 21st century. Together, Ultrahaptics and Leap Motion products have the opportunity to be at the global epicentre of spatial interaction.
“Taking a holistic view of this exciting market, not only can we continue to create two hugely significant technologies, but we can max out the potential of combining them – proving that one plus one really can make three!
Leap Motion co-founder and CTO David Holz, said: “We’ve been working with Ultrahaptics for nearly six years. Both companies have an intense passion for deepening the bond between people and technology and together we can reach the true potential of both.”
https://giphy.com/embed/f9jadBfI8XkLNoXoTd
Leap Motion hand tracking working with a Oculus Rift VR HMD
