Cincinnati based Contact CI is focused on making virtual reality (VR) tangible via natural touch. The startup has announced that everyone can now invest in a vision of the future, thanks to a campaign with the equity crowdfunding online platform SeedInvest.
Contact CI’s Maestro glove is a mechanical motion capture system. Combined with flex sensors, the device allows for low latency tracking free from occlusion. This means acute gestures and complex interactions can be captured accurately and used as input commands for software and videogames. VRFocus has previously been hands-on with prototype editions of the Maestro glove, and came away impressed.
“For VR to reach its ultimate potential as a computing platform, the limitless and immersive environments need to feel life like,” stated Craig Douglass, Co-Founder & CEO Contact CI. “Our work is focused on enabling virtual reality experiences to be as tangible as the natural world. To improve simulation training capabilities, enable physical feeling virtual handshakes, and create higher levels of presence in VR, we are seeking to raise a seed round with the equity crowdsourcing platform SeedInvest.”
Contact CI has already benefited from two rounds of pre-seed funding, accumulating a total of $410,000 USD. Through SeedInvest, the company aims to push towards full scale operations, further developing the Maestro haptic data glove and continuing in-market partner testing and application in pilot projects.
“Our selected Alpha partners have all received Maestro gloves and begun the first in-market use of our haptic technology,” Douglass told VRFocus. “The insights we have garnered from the alpha testing program have been tremendously helpful. As a prime example of this, the video below features a prototype glove, post alpha, with reduced size and improved reliability.”
SeedInvest is an equity crowdfunding platform opening up access to venture capital and angel investing to everyone. Accepting just ~1% of startups that apply, SeedInvest has helped over 220 companies raise capital, and built a rapidly growing network of over 200,000 investors.
You can find Contact CI’s SeedInvest page here, and more details on the company’s official website. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on the Maestro from Contact CI.