Leap Motion Controller (hand & finger tracking)
The 'Leap Motion Controller 2' is a little usb-connected hand & finger tracking device made by Ultraleap.
The original version was (partly) intended to add hand tracking to VR headsets, but quickly became very popular for hand / gesture interaction in general.
The Leap can recognize two-handed gestures and perform very smooth and accurate, real-time motion tracking of your hands and fingers.
It connects over USB and works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Quest VR, etc.
There are plugins and API's available for most common languages and platforms; e.g. Unity / Unreal / TouchDesigner / Processing / etc.
It works by having stereo 3D 'active infrared' (nightvision) cameras look out from the the device.
Just hold your hands in its view / interaction zone - and it will start tracking them at 120 frames per second :)
What do we have at CCI?
We have a few dozen of the 'Leap Motion Controller 2' and the original 'Leap 1' available through the Kit Room.
In most cases you will be able to loan a Leap 2 - but do not worry if only the V1 is left in stock! The difference between the two is somewhat minor, and the original is highly capable too :)
//////// TODO INSERT PICTURE OF BOTH V1 and V2 ////////
The 'Physical Hands' sample project working on one of our 'spatial 3D' displays:
How to get it running:
~ Get a device through ORB, our loan store
~ Install a version of the Ultraleap software. Depending on what software you want to use it with, you might need an older version:
~ Go to Ultraleap's website
~ Or install it through Steam
How to develop for it
There are many different ways to work with the Leap. You can use their plugins to go straight into Unity/Unreal/etc., or you can use the SDK with its programming API's for many common languages. TouchDesigner has a component built-in.
Choosing how to approach things will depend on what type of interaction you are aiming for. For example, are trying to recognize just the hand / finger positions, or entire gestures, or do you want to achieve a more physical style interaction with grabbing, pushing, pulling, etc.?
Ultraleap provides amazing samples and demo projects for any of the above, that you can literally drag and drop into your own.
Their resources are probably the best place to start any new Leap Motion project:
Getting started: docs.ultraleap.com/hand-tracking/getting-started.html
Installing the software on Windows or Mac: docs.ultraleap.com/hand-tracking/desktop-setup.html
Tips for where to best place the sensor: docs.ultraleap.com/TouchFree/touchfree-user-manual/camera-placement.html
Basic guidelines for effective interaction: docs.ultraleap.com/xr-guidelines/Getting%20started/design-principles.html
Basic (programming) info and concepts about the coordinate system, hand bones, etc: docs.ultraleap.com/api-reference/tracking-api/leapc-guide/leap-concepts.html
Sensor specs: www.ultraleap.com/products
Code samples, resources and demo projects: github.com/ultraleap
Because of the Leap's popularity among creative coders over the last decade, there are tons of additional tutorials and code samples for you to find besides Ultraleap's own resources.
TROUBLESHOOTING
~ If the device is connected, and tracking your hands, but it does not work in TD/UE/Unity/etc:
You might need a different version of the Ultraleap software. Some plugins/libraries only work with a certain one (e.g. Hyperion (v6), Gemini (v5), Orion (v4). If you are sure you are using the correct one, perhaps do a clean reinstall/reboot and try again, try the Steam versions, or something else might be wrong...
~ If the device is connected, and you can see the cameras working, but it is not tracking your hands
Do you have it upside down perhaps? Which side is the cable coming out?
Try flipping the orientation in the Control Panel, or changing the 'Tracking Mode'.
upside down, not tracking...
~ If the device is connected, but you cannot see anything happening in the software
~ If the software cannot connect to the device:
~ If you cannot install the sofware at all
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