Finch technology uses bracelets that together with the controllers manage to offer 6dof tracking without limitations of occlusion or coverage.
Finch Technologies he has announced that its motion controllers with absolute positioning have been successfully tested by Qualcomm in its latest reference design: the Snapdragon 845 VR, which means that any manufacturer will be able to make use of Finch’s proposal to have 6dof controllers.
“Intuitive interaction with complete freedom of movement is central to immersive RX experiences and a requirement for mass consumption and enterprise adoption. Qualcomm Technologies continues to expand the list of partners that complement Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR platform. FinchShift controllers provide a natural and perfectly integrated experience of 6 degrees of freedom, ” he says Hugo Swart, in charge of the XR of Qualcomm.
As HTC announced at the XRDC in October, FinchShift controllers will be supported within the Vive Wave platform (in a future update), thus allowing its compatibility with Vive Focus and other ecosystem viewers such as Pico. To achieve absolute positioning, the FinchBodyModel software is based on both the controllers and a bracelet-shaped accessory that we place on each arm, managing to solve (in theory) the occlusion problems and even the limitation of the FOV coverage of optical or ultrasonic systems, although for greater precision they use the cameras of the HMDs. Both the controllers (102 grams each) and the bracelets (54 grams each) are capable of offering an autonomy of 18 hours.
Developers interested in creating 6dof content can pre-purchase FinchShift for $ 249 (there are discounts for purchase volume from two units). Shipments will take place during the month of January. When acquiring the devices, there is the option to choose if we want them to include touchpad or analog stick.
