Category: Finch

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Nreal Partners With FinchRing to Offer 6DoF Tracking Solution

FinchRing

Finch Technologies has been making 6 degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) controllers since 2016, creating devices for the likes of Gear VR and then HTC Vive Focus. Today, the company is focusing its efforts towards mixed reality (MR) with its latest device, the FinchRing, revealed as part of a partnership with Nreal during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Shanghai.

FinchRing
Image credit Finch Technologies

Designed to be intuitive, bringing hands-free gesture control to MR products as well as laptops and smartphones, FinchRing’s patented IMU technology means it isn’t hampered by a headset’s FoV tracking. That tracking freedom enables FinchRing to be used both inside and outside, unaffected by lighting conditions.

The small device attaches to the index finger and comes equipped with haptic feedback, a touchpad and a force sensor. The battery allows for four hours of use, being able to recharge to 80% in 20 minutes the company claims. The FinchRing itself is capable of 3DoF with 6DoF flexibility achieved in combination with the FinchTracker which attaches to an armband strap.

“Natural 360-degree movement in mixed reality has been one of the major challenges holding back the mainstream XR market and is something developers and consumers alike have been waiting for,” says Gary Yamamoto, CEO of Finch Technologies in a statement. “At Finch, we combine the best proprietary 3D tracking technology, devices and software solutions to create natural user interactions for mixed reality, with no break in action or motion, so the promise of mixed reality for both consumers and enterprise can be fully realized. We can’t wait to see what developers create with our hands-free FinchRing controller.”

FinchRing
FinchTracker and FinchRing. Image credit Finch Technologies

Finch Technologies will be selling the device in two bundles. The FinchRing and FinchTracker will be sold as a developers kit with a second bundle include an Nreal Light. Prices and availability have yet to be announced.

Nreal also revealed at MWC that it was scaling up plans to launch the Nreal Light in Europe and the US. “With the initial success we’ve seen with our
carrier partners, we’re scaling this strategy and excited to get Nreal Light into the hands of American consumers by April of this year,” said Chi Xu, CEO and Founder at Nreal.

As Finch and Nreal release further details, VRFocus will keep you updated.

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Hands-on: 6DoF Tracker Free Control With FinchShift

When it comes to awesome immersive virtual reality (VR), one of the major factors VRFocus wants is freedom, complete wireless freedom to run around digital worlds to our heart’s content. And this is happening, not at lightning speed but it is still happening. But we’re not just talking about untethered headsets like Oculus Quest or HTC Vive Focus, it’s about freeing those last shackles like external sensors or tracking systems that lose a controller at a certain point. Which is where Finch Technologies comes in with its FinchShift controllers.

FinchShift

While tracking solutions like those found on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are nice and accurate, you’re constrained to the room the sensors a located in. Which is why headsets like Windows Mixed Reality or Oculus Quest have inside-out tracking using cameras on the front to pinpoint where the controllers are and where the user is in the room (so you don’t bump into stuff). Again these have limits depending on where the lenses are and how many there are, so you might not be able to perform an action like grabbing an item from over your shoulder.

And what about devices like Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR which don’t have any cameras on. They have 3 degrees of freedom (3DoF) control input, but that’s highly limiting when it comes to VR. During CES 2019 last week Finch Technologies showcased its solution, 6DoF, wireless controllers that don’t require additional cameras or wall mounted sensors.

This kind of feels like a fairy tale in its promise yet VRFocus found that the FinchShift controllers did exactly as described, supplying room-scale, 360-degree tracking with all the other fluff. This is achieved thanks to the latest IMU sensor technology by Bosch Sensortec. What this physically meant was a maximum of four parts to the entire system, depending on how much control you want. For example, the hand-controllers by themselves are in fact 3DoF, much like Oculus Go’s controller. The magic happens when users add the armband which also has the sensor tech inside. This instantly turns the 3DoF controller in 6DoF, on one arm, thusly for full immersive control, add another controller and armband – they’re actually called FinchTrackers – and you have full wireless freedom.

FinchShift

The demo Finch Technologies chose to use was very much like Fruit Ninja VR and incorporated the HTC Vive Focus, with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, with the task being to slice up as many enemies as possible in the given time. Using all four units the system was calibrated by stretching your arms out straight and bring both controllers together.

The actual controllers themselves are very lightweight and comfortable to hold, with a really nice grip button nestled into the overall housing. The demo area was very small so swinging movements couldn’t be too outlandish. The videogame required a lot of very quick movements and while slower movements were accurately portrayed, there was some noticeable latency when wildly waving the sword around trying to hit a flurry of incoming opponents.

You may have also have noticed the white markers on each device. FinchShift actually has two calibration systems built in, the standard consumer version which VRFocus tried and found to be suitably accurate and then the enterprise-focused calibration which uses the markers. These are actually lights and can be used in conjunction with camera systems to fine tune the tracking calibration even further should a business need the increased accuracy for a particular use case.

FinchShift

From what VRFocus saw of FinchShift and the FinchTrackers, it looks to be one of the best systems yet to provide out-of-the-box room-scale control for a wide variety of VR and non-VR systems. It’s not cheap, with a full set costing $249 to pre-order. Yet new tech like this never is. It does on the other hand showcase what’s possible and what we all could be using in the next few years.

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6DOF Controller FinchShift to Support Multiple Standalone Headsets via Vive Wave

Mobile VR motion controller manufacturer Finch Technologies today announced it’s working with Qualcomm and HTC to deliver its six degrees of freedom (6DOF) FinchShift controllers to a multitude of devices supporting Vive Wave.

Back in November 2018, HTC revealed that 15 hardware manufacturers had already adopted Vive Wave, the company’s open platform offering interoperability between several classes of mobile VR headsets and accessories—including HTC’s standalone VR headset Vive Focus.

An upcoming Vive Wave SDK release is said to include support for FinchShift, which will bring support for the controllers to a “wide range of devices and headsets and work with both iOS and Android operating systems,” Finch says in a press statement.

Image courtesy Finch Technologies

Qualcomm is also confirming FinchShift compatibility with its Snapdragon 845 VRDK, a standalone VR headset reference design that gained Vive Wave support shortly after it was revealed early last year. As Qualcomm’s latest VRDK, the headset essentially gives prospective manufactures a basis for creating their own headsets, and of course turn-key access to HTC’s mobile version of its Viveport app store.

FinchShift is a mobile 6DOF controller that lets users engage in room-scale experiences without the need of basestations or external sensors of any kind. A pair of FinchTracker armbands come along with the kit, providing additional points of tracking data.

SEE ALSO
Hands-on: Vive Focus 6DOF Controller Dev Kit

Unlike other motion controllers, which can rely on IR cameras or even ultrasonics to provide positional tracking, positional data is inferred from the system’s inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors—something akin to what you might find in a 3DOF controller that ships with Oculus Go or Mirage Solo. Although Finch’s own sensor fusion algorithms and inverse kinematics are said to create a 6DOF experience that can track both parts of your body and hands naturally.

Image courtesy Finch Technologies

The controller and armband are said to offer up to 18 hours of active use and weigh less than 3.6 ounces for the controller, and less than 1.9 ounces for the armband.

The company is releasing their FinchShift controllers (available in touchpad or thumbstick varieties) and FinchTracker armbands via a developer kit directly through the company’s website; shipping is expected to begin this month. The entire kit and SDK costs $250, although the company is providing discounts on bulk purchases.

We haven’t had a chance to try out FinchShift yet, although the company will be at CES 2019, taking place January 8-12 in Las Vegas. We’ll have feet on the ground at CES this year, so check back soon for more coverage on all things AR/VR debuting at one of the world’s largest consumer electronics show.

The post 6DOF Controller FinchShift to Support Multiple Standalone Headsets via Vive Wave appeared first on Road to VR.

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Finch to Showcase Shift Motion Controller at CES 2017

Companies are experimenting with all sorts of different input methods for virtual reality (VR), whether its eye-tracking, data gloves, omni-directional treadmills, motion controllers and much more. One startup that’s developing several ideas is Finch, and the company recently revealed it’ll be showcasing its latest controllers – Finch Shift – at next months CES 2017 event in Las Vegas.

Designed as a no-camera motion controller for smartphone owners, Shift aims to provide similar functionality to that of the motion controllers for Oculus and HTC Vive, but for Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard headsets. The controller employs modified IMU sensors to determine real-time hands’ position with sub-centimeter accuracy and a 360-degree tracking range, but the system does lack room-scale tracking. Finch aims to add inside-out room scale tracking through a smartphones camera by the end of 2017.

Finch Shift

Finch Shift will come with ‘PC-to-mobile’ streaming software, which allows existing Steam VR, Oсulus and HTC Vive apps and videogames to run on smartphones.

The developer’s kit, which includes controllers for both hands, SDK/API, accessories, three demo games and the streaming software pack can be pre-ordered through the company’s website for $179 USD. The DK1 will be shipped in February 2017,  while the consumer version is scheduled to arrive in the second half of 2017 after Finch’s Kickstarter campaign this spring.

“We believe that Finch Shift VR Kit will accelerate consumers’ interest to virtual reality in the near future. The main reasons for slow market expansion have been limited functionality and low quality of content for mobile VR, and prohibitive costs of high-end hardware. With the Shift Kit, anyone who has a decent smartphone can play the best virtual reality games from SteamVR and mobile VR app stores. Plus, you can share the fun with your friends, just like you do it with console gaming,” said the company’s CEO Alexey Kartashov.

VRFocus first reported on Finch back in October when it released a new demonstration video for a different set of controllers. These offered finger tracking for mobile VR devices.

For any further updates on Finch, keep reading VRFocus.

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Finch Showcases Mobile VR Controller Compatible with Gear VR and Daydream in New Trailer

Head mounted displays (HMDs) like the Samsung Gear VR are some of the best ways to enjoy virtual reality (VR) without breaking the bank, but the control input is still limited to either a Bluetooth gamepad, or touch pad, limiting the immersive qualities of the technology. High-end headsets like HTC Vive have motion controllers which allow players to interact more realistically with virtual worlds, tech startup Finch wants to bring that to mobile as well.

In its latest trailer the company showcases its Finch controller, a device that wraps around the back of a users hands with three cables that then attach the thumb, index finger and middle finger. The index finger connection features a small touch pad for additional input benefits, and there are sensors that wrap around the top of the arm for further movement data. It connects to headsets via Bluetooth with a claimed  battery life of more than 10 hours.

Finch controller

The Finch allows the visualisation of hands in VR without the need for external cameras, ensuring mobile VR devices aren’t shackled to a certain play area. And it supports a range of mobile HMDs, including Gear VR, Google Cardboard, and Google’s upcoming headset Daydream View. It also works with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Pre-orders are already open for the Finch Development Kit 1 (DK1) controller through finch-vr.com, retailing for $238 USD plus shipping. For that price customers get two Finch controllers for each arm, Bluetooth adapters for PC connection, Charging cables, SDK/API and three videogame demos. The company will provide developers a Gesture Creation Tool and a converter for adaptation of existing apps for DayDream, LeapMotion and SteamVR platforms. Shipments will begin this December.

As VRFocus learns more about Finch, we’ll let you know.