Leap Motion CTO David Holz demo

joe chan
31 Mar 201603:22

TLDRIn this demo, Leap Motion CTO David Holz showcases innovative non-physical interactions using hand gestures. He demonstrates how to manipulate virtual objects, such as pinching with one hand while interacting with another, creating effects in real time. Holz introduces a virtual wearable interface that allows for complex, hands-free interactions. He explains the technology's integration into virtual reality, emphasizing its potential to become embedded in VR headsets with minimal hardware costs. The demo highlights the technology's ability to create realistic physics-based interactions and its future development as a software solution for VR systems.

Takeaways

  • 👐 The Leap Motion CTO, David Holz, demonstrates virtual interactions using hand gestures.
  • 👍 He showcases non-physical reactions by pinching with his right hand and interacting with virtual objects.
  • 💡 The technology allows for the creation of complex interactions and interfaces, like a virtual wearable interface.
  • 🔄 David Holz demonstrates flipping his hand and generating a virtual interface around his body.
  • ✨ The demo includes a stress test of interactions, showcasing the advanced physics programming.
  • 🌍 The virtual reality technology has been under development for 6-7 years and was recently released.
  • 🎥 The demo shows the future of virtual reality headsets, aiming for embedded sensors rather than external ones.
  • 💰 Leap Motion plans to integrate its technology into headsets at a low hardware cost, making it affordable.
  • 📦 Leap Motion aims to be a pure software company, offering software licenses to partners.
  • 🚀 The technology is designed for easy integration by companies, with potential software licensing fees ranging from $3 to $10 per unit.

Q & A

  • What is David Holz demonstrating in this video?

    -David Holz is demonstrating Leap Motion's technology, showcasing non-physical interactions and virtual wearable interfaces that respond to hand movements.

  • What does David Holz do with his hands in the demo?

    -David Holz takes both his hands out, pinches with his right hand, and makes a gesture with his left hand to interact with virtual objects, demonstrating the system's ability to track and interpret hand motions.

  • What is a 'virtual wearable interface' as described in the demo?

    -A 'virtual wearable interface' refers to an interface that can be brought into the virtual space around the user's body, allowing for interaction with virtual elements through physical gestures.

  • What is the significance of the virtual circle in the demonstration?

    -The virtual circle demonstrates the precision and control that the Leap Motion system allows in creating and manipulating virtual objects, highlighting how users can interact with complex virtual environments.

  • How does Leap Motion handle physical and non-physical interactions?

    -Leap Motion's technology is designed to simulate both physical and non-physical interactions, allowing users to interact with virtual objects as if they were real, while also enabling non-physical actions like button presses or manipulating interfaces.

  • What role does gravity play in the demo?

    -In the demo, David Holz turns off gravity to show how virtual objects behave in a weightless environment, demonstrating how the system can simulate various physical conditions.

  • How long has this technology been in development?

    -The general technology behind Leap Motion has been in development for six to seven years, with the virtual reality version being worked on for two years.

  • What future plans does David Holz mention for the hardware?

    -David Holz mentions that the plan is to embed the sensors directly into headsets, making the hardware simpler and more affordable, with a sensor module costing around five dollars.

  • What is the business model for Leap Motion as described by David Holz?

    -Leap Motion plans to license its software to companies for a fee per unit, making money through software licenses rather than hardware sales.

  • What is the goal of Leap Motion according to the demo?

    -The goal of Leap Motion is to enable intuitive, precise control in virtual reality environments, offering a seamless user experience without needing physical controllers, and moving towards integrated, embedded solutions.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Non-Physical Interactions with Virtual Objects

In this segment, the speaker introduces the concept of non-physical reactions and demonstrates how virtual interactions can be manipulated without physical objects. By using gestures like pinching with the right hand and interacting with the left ear, the speaker showcases how these interactions can simulate real-world experiences. The demonstration is intended to highlight the power of virtual interfaces and how they can replicate physical actions in a digital environment.

🖐️ Demonstrating Virtual Wearable Interfaces

The speaker continues by explaining a virtual wearable interface, where hand movements are used to create and manipulate elements in a virtual space. By flipping the left hand, a virtual interface is brought into view, demonstrating how users can interact with virtual objects without physical contact. The speaker emphasizes the simplicity of creating complex interfaces using this technology, which enables more intuitive and immersive virtual experiences.

🔄 Complex Virtual Interactions Made Simple

In this part, the speaker delves into more complex interactions that are made easier with the virtual system. They show how a circle can be drawn and thrown across the virtual space, allowing for sophisticated tasks without extensive programming knowledge. The discussion highlights how these interfaces are designed to be user-friendly, even for intricate actions, reducing the learning curve for users.

🧪 Stress Testing the System

The speaker explains how the system is put through a stress test by turning off gravity, showcasing the robustness and flexibility of the virtual environment. Despite changes in physical parameters, such as gravity, the interface still performs seamlessly, demonstrating the reliability of the technology in various scenarios.

🚀 The Evolution of Virtual Reality Technology

Here, the speaker talks about the development of this virtual reality technology, which has been in the works for several years. The system has recently been released after extensive research and development. The speaker mentions that the technology has caught the attention of virtual headset makers, with plans to embed the sensors directly into headsets, making the hardware more affordable and accessible.

💼 Business Model: Affordable and Scalable

In the final segment, the speaker outlines the business model behind the technology. They plan to sell the hardware for around five dollars, with companies purchasing modules and paying a software licensing fee per unit. The speaker emphasizes that the company primarily focuses on software, ensuring high profitability while maintaining affordable pricing for partners, making the technology scalable for widespread use.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Non-physical reactions

Non-physical reactions refer to interactions in a virtual environment that don't involve physical objects. In the video, David Holz demonstrates how gestures in the air can manipulate virtual objects without physical touch.

💡Pinch

Pinch is a gesture where a user brings their thumb and finger together, often used in Leap Motion for interacting with virtual objects. Holz uses this gesture to interact with virtual interfaces, showing how natural hand motions can control digital elements.

💡Virtual wearable interface

A virtual wearable interface refers to an interactive display or system that a user can summon and control in the air, as if it's a wearable interface but virtual. Holz mentions bringing an interface off the body, implying users can interact with digital controls without physically wearing them.

💡Physical interaction paradigm

This concept refers to the natural interaction of humans with digital elements, mimicking physical interactions. Holz emphasizes how the system mimics the real world by allowing users to control complex digital objects through hand motions.

💡Stress test

A stress test involves pushing the technology to its limits to see how it handles intensive use. In the video, Holz mentions this as he demonstrates complex actions to test the capabilities of the Leap Motion system.

💡Gravity

Gravity, in the context of the demo, refers to the simulation of gravitational effects in the virtual environment. Holz demonstrates turning off gravity in the virtual space, allowing objects to float and showcasing the system’s physics programming.

💡Embedded sensor

An embedded sensor is a device integrated into a system, in this case, virtual reality headsets. Holz mentions future plans to integrate the Leap Motion sensor into VR headsets, allowing for seamless hand tracking without external sensors.

💡Software license fee

This refers to the cost companies must pay to use Leap Motion's software. Holz explains that the company operates as a software provider, licensing its technology to other companies for a fee.

💡Virtual reality

Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real way using special electronic equipment. Leap Motion's technology enhances VR experiences by allowing hand-based interactions without physical controllers.

💡Hand tracking

Hand tracking is a core feature of Leap Motion’s technology, which allows users to control digital environments using their hand gestures. Holz’s demonstration revolves around this concept, showing how the system accurately tracks and interprets hand movements in real-time.

Highlights

David Holz demonstrates non-physical reactions using Leap Motion technology.

Shows the ability to pinch with one hand and interact virtually using the other hand.

He mentions being able to create virtual 'power' and submit actions through hand gestures.

Demonstrates interactions with both physical and non-physical objects through Leap Motion.

Introduces a virtual wearable interface, bringing virtual objects off the body.

Uses hand movements to create circles and interact with virtual objects.

Explains the complexity of the interface and how physical interaction paradigms reduce the need for manual programming.

Mentions using Leap Motion for more complicated virtual interactions, such as skipping objects across the screen.

Demonstrates the ability to manipulate virtual environments without extensive programming.

Introduces a gravity toggle feature to simulate different physics effects in the virtual environment.

Highlights the subtlety and control in manipulating virtual objects, even with no ground physics.

Mentions the technology has only been released for a few weeks, but has been under development for years.

Discusses the company's plan to embed Leap Motion sensors inside VR headsets for seamless integration.

Describes the hardware as being very simple and cost-effective, with production partners in Asia.

Mentions that the company is a software-focused operation, aiming for pure profit through software licensing fees.