Ever since virtual reality (VR) remerged as a viable consumer product the quest has been to make the technology as immersive and interactive as possible. That’s lead to motion controllers, eye tracking and hand tracking but full-body tracking has stopped and started due to the complexities of this process. Manus VR, the company which makes enterprise-grade data gloves, is almost ready to release its solution to this challenge, Manus Polygon.
Like other full-body tracking solutions such as CloudGate Studios’ version for Island 359, Manus Polygon utilises Vive Trackers on the feet, waist and hands. First introduced during CES 2020 back in January, the announcement this week will see Manus Polygon made available to companies looking for a full-body solution this summer, no matter the use case.
Suitable for a variety of applications including training and simulation to virtual collaboration Manus Polygon has been designed around easy self-calibration, so you don’t need anybody outside of the VR experience to help with setting up. The Polygon IK-system reads the movement of the Vive trackers and calculates the natural body movement of the user.
Compatible with Manus’ range of Prime gloves, Polygon supports multiple users either locally or via an existing network so colleagues can share a virtual workspace. This is achieved by the system working with a host who runs the simulation allowing guests to join their environment.
Another key part of Manus Polygon is the networked object tracking feature. This ensures all users see object locations in real-time, no matter who is using the object.
Compatible with HTC Vive and other SteamVR headsets, Manus Polygon will be compatible with Unity when it officially launches in June 2020. The company also plans to release an Unreal Engine 4 plugin later this year as well as expanding compatibility for more motion capture hardware.
The new range of Manus Prime gloves arrived in 2019, with three models for tracking users hand gestures. The flagship gloves are the Prime Haptic for €4990, offering haptic feedback for each finger.
Manus VR isn’t the only company exploring the full-body tracking space. Recently, Antilatency updated its software development kit (SDK) to version 1.0.0, adding support for Oculus Quest to its custom tracking solution. As further advancements are made in the field, VRFocus will let you know.