This week, hand-tracking market leader SpectreXR made various strides in innovating in XR input with various partnerships that aim to elevate immersion for XR training applications and user experiences.
Notably, SpectreXR is collaborating with UltraLeap in a “shared goal” to enhance immersive training by leveraging UltraLeap hardware alongside “OctoXR” – the firm’s first-party hand-tracking SDK.
Speaking on the Unity integrations, Ivan Rajkovic, CEO of SpectreXR, noted:
We’re excited to expand hand-tracking support for OctoXR and enable even more Unity developers to create immersive and engaging interactive VR/AR experiences. Integration with Ultraleap’s high precision Hand Tracking Software was an important step forward for us because as companies we share a common vision for the future and the integral role of hand tracking in VR.
SpectreXR is developing OctoXR, a sensor and tracking technology that operates as a Unity game engine plugin for creating realistic, physics-based hand interactions for immersive applications. Moreover, OctoXR is a low-code plugin, which means that it does not require users to have extensive coding knowledge.
Moreover, the Ultraleap integration means that Unity XR developers can leverage the umbrella of unified technologies to enhance their immersive applications for Pico hardware. Unity itself is a highly accessible graphics engine ready for a range of developers. Therefore, the SpectreXR, its OctoXR hand-tracking SDK, and Ultrlaleap compatibility enhancements bring advanced hand-tracking to a broader audience.
Enhancing VR Training Opportunities
On the hardware side, SpectreXR now supports Ultraleap’s product portfolio for hand-tracking-ready applications made with OctoXR.
Ultraleap hand-tracking hardware enables Pico Neo 3 Pro and Pico 4 Enterprise users to access these applications with the Leap 2 Accessory. Therefore, SepctreXR allows Unity developers to design realistic Pico applications where users can interact with virtual environments and objects without a controller using the OctoXR framework.
Chris Burgess, Senior XR Product Manager at Ultraleap, added:
The team at SpectreXR really understand the XR training space and how hand tracking solutions can benefit their customers. They’ve built realistic hand interactions for OctoXR that complement Ultraleap’s hand tracking perfectly. This integration gives content developers a really easy way to develop training programs that feature our hand tracking on Pico headsets, and we can’t wait to see what is created!
According to a SpecreXR social media post, the UltraLeap hardware integration works towards each firm’s “shared goal of revolutionizing XR training and enhancing user experiences” while also providing a new level of realism and precision,” SpecreXR noted in the same post.
More on OctoXR
SpectreXR delivers its hand-tracking SDK solution via its OctoXR framework, ready for Unity developers to design custom interactable immersive content.
OctoXR is a tool that allows XR developers to create hand-tracking-ready immersive applications. The toolset comes with a range of features that provide a low-code approach to creating hand-tracking-ready applications – falling in line with Unity’s pre-existing low-code framework.
SpectreXR distributes its SDK as a “Core” free version – and a “Pro” variant to suit budding content developers and enterprise end-users.
Moreover, the firm’s software offering supports no-code, drag-and-drop developer pipelines, meaning that individuals representing a range of skill levels can leverage Octo Core and Pro without barriers.
The Octo SDK framework allows developers to integrate hand-tracking-ready applications on headsets from vendors like Meta and HTC VIVE. There may also be integration for Apple’s Vision Pro because SpectreXR leverages Unity, the same SDK behind Apple’s interactive XR content.
Octo developers can integrate a range of innovative hand-tracking features into their XR projects, such as:
- Character controller (Pro only)
- Inverse kinematics avatar (Pro only)
- Oculus hand-tracking support
- Unity input system support
- Proximity and distance options
- Interactable objects, pre-made object modifiers
- Customizable hand poses
- Grab and hand pose detection
- UI interaction system
Interested developers can download the Octo Pro framework for €59.88 via Untiy’s Asset Store.
Moreover, the OctoXR toolkit is modular, meaning an enterprise end-user could leverage the service to create a range of XR applications. However, the current “shared goal” of UltraLeap and SpectreXR is to elevate immersive training solutions.
SpectreXR Joins the VRARA
But that is not all. This week is busy for SpectreXR. The hand-tracking firm joined the VARA Association (VRARA) in a bid to push the boundaries of XR technology and scale the delivery of its hand-tracking solutions.
The firm noted in a social media post that joining the VRARA “aligns perfectly” with the firm’s mission to contribute to the “growth and development of the XR industry,” with a focus on innovating how XR users interact with digital objects and environments.
The news follows a partnership between SpectreXR and HTC Vive earlier this year to drive innovation, immersion, and realistic interaction. SpectreXR is now part of HTC VIVE’s Developer Partner Program to promote “synergy” between the firms and improve the usability of HTC VIVE devices.
The move also sees OctoXR benefit from the HTC VIVE partnership, as the deal provides the headset vendor with OctoXR hand-tracking for its software development kit (SDK), further spreading OctoXR’s hand-tracking capabilities to more headsets alongside the recently adopted Pico portfolio.
SpectreXR CEO on the Future of Input
In a recent roundtable with XR Today, Ivan Rajković noted that his firm dedicated over 17000 hours of R&D to hand tracking technology, aiming “to provide the most realistic and intuitive hand interactions inside VR and AR environments.”
Rajković also said that hand-tracking technology can bring value to various industries by providing a “natural and intuitive way of interacting with digital interfaces,” according to the CEO, which can lead to improved productivity, accuracy, and efficiency outcomes for workers.
The CEO also added:
Tracking solutions have become an essential component of modern digital interfaces, providing a more engaging and intuitive experience for end-users. Enterprise adopters can benefit greatly from incorporating tracking solutions into their products, creating a user-friendly and inclusive experience that enhances the overall value proposition of their offerings.
Moreover, the CEO noted that a “big change is happening on the industry side,” with Rajkovic explaining how many companies are “recognizing the importance of hand-tracking technology.”
Rajković noted
With the continued advancements in hardware, hand tracking could become, and we believe that it will become the default way how we are interacting in virtual and augmented reality.
The CEO continued and explained how SpectreXR is “excited” about the future of hand-tracking and how the technology will affect AR/VR/MR applications, “we will continue to invest in research and development to ensure that our technology remains at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field,” Rajkovic remarked.
