As XR technologies become more accessible for companies and consumers alike, the demand for immersive hand and eye tracking solutions is growing. With tracking technologies, companies can build more immersive experiences for XR users.
Eye tracking helps users to navigate a space more effectively, while improving software performance and minimising discomfort. Hand tracking, on the other hand, ensures individuals can interact more effectively with virtual content. The question is, which innovative tools are offering the best tracking experience in the XR environment today?
Whether you’re looking to boost collaborative experiences, enhance employee training, or unlock new levels of creativity the right tracking technology is a must. Here are some of our most popular hand and eye tracking tools to guide your purchasing choices.
VIVE Pro Eye
One of the most popular market leaders in the XR environment right now, VIVE is no stranger to delivering cutting-edge technology. The company offers some of the most immersive, ergonomic, and powerful experiences to consumers and businesses alike. With the Vive Pro Eye, users can tap into new levels of immersion, with ultra-precise eye monitoring.
As you’ll discover in our VIVE Pro Eye review, the technology is phenomenal for home office users, studio designers, and professionals alike. The powerful eye tracking tools can even convey blinking and natural eye movements in avatars, for better collaboration. With gaze-oriented meus and tools for smart GPU workload allocation, this innovation is making some serious waves.
If you’re hoping to develop more lifelike interactions and embrace the power of foveated rendering for your XR users, the VIVE Pro Eye is worth your consideration.
Ultraleap Stereo IR 170
A state-of-the-art product designed specifically for boosting tracking performance, the Ultraleap Stereo IR 170 allows countless users to discover the benefits of hand tracking. You can purchase this technology as part of an “Evaluation Kit” from Ultraleap, or access the standalone module. The system comes with intelligent software built-in for all your motion tracking needs.
With the Ultraleap Stereo IR 170, you can track no less than 27 distinct hand elements, including bones and joints. The system can even detect movements in parts of the hand when they’re obscured by other parts of the body.
Our comprehensive review will take you through all the next-level hand tracking features you can expect to access with this module. You’ll learn about the state-of-the-art interaction zone, and the bonus features you can unlock as part of the Evaluation Kit.
Varjo XR-3
If you’re searching for an all-in-one solution with hand and eye tracking already built in, the Varjo XR-3 could be the perfect offering for you. One of the most recent additions to the Varjo portfolio, the XR-3 is a Mixed Reality ideal for educational and collaborative experiences.
With built-in depth awareness, and 12-megapixel video passthrough, Varjo’s headset ensures users can interact naturally with both the real world, and virtual content. The solution comes with a powerful hand-tracking module from Ultraleap already included (Gemini). There’s also phenomenal eye tracking, with sub-degree accuracy.
In our Varjo XR-3 review, we discuss the solution’s amazing features, including its industry-changing LiDAR sensors and RGB video feeds for benchmarking object, people, and hand occlusion. The combination of hand and eye tracking in the XR-3 are sure to change the way you think about working and communicating in XR.
STRATOS Inspire Haptic Module
The STRATOS Inspire Haptic Module from Ultraleap is another phenomenal tool worth exploring if you’re interested in cutting-edge XR features. More than just a hand tracking solution, this system comes with the ability to built haptic feedback into your XR interactions.
The STRATOS solution can track the motion of a user’s hands using the Leap Motion control, then project tactile effects to provide unique feedback. This phenomenal solution is specifically well-suited to developers and innovators creating new experiences from scratch in the XR world.
In our end-to-end review, we cover everything you need to know about the STRATOS Inspire and the development kit that comes with it. You’ll learn all about the versatility of the technology, which can adapt to suit gaming environments, learning experiences and everyday workplace scenarios.
Valve Index VR Kit
A state-of-the-art solution for building immersive experiences, the Valve Index VR kit includes everything innovators need to create their own VR worlds. With this package, you’ll get the powerful Valve Index headset, as well as the sensors required for capturing hand and eye movement.
For those interested in hand and eye tracking, the most exciting features of the Valve Index VR Kit are likely to be the powerful base stations included with the system. These tools come with industry-leading tracking technology, which allows lasers to sweep an environment 100 times per second to track your movements in real-time.
The Valve Index VR Kit is also flexible and customisable, with the ability to add extra trackers and sensors to suit individual needs. You can learn more about the eye and hand tracking capabilities of the Valve Index VR Kit, as well as its other features in our complete review.
Ultraleap Leap Motion Controller
Probably one of the most exciting tools to emerge in the XR market specifically for enabling motion tracking, the Ultraleap Leap Motion controller is an industry leader. This powerful modular tool can connect with a range of headsets and devices to help users build a more immersive XR experience. There’s even the option to mount the system directly to a VR headset.
With an interaction zone of up to 60cm, The Leap Motion controller can quickly and easily detect movement, and translate each gesture into an action in the right software. Developers and designers can use this technology to create touchless interfaces, and immersive training experiences.
In our Leap Motion Controller review, we provide a guide to all of the amazing features this technology has to offer, including its convenient range of plugins for Unreal and Unity.
