Mobile VR’s high accessibility and convenience is looking more and more like the path of least resistance when it comes to virtual reality having a common presence in households. Price and form factor play a big part in this, but with those benefits comes a hindered experience when it comes to degrees of movement and interaction with virtual experiences on these mobile platforms. Creators are regularly attacking the limitations of mobile VR so we’re likely to have more robust entry level VR in coming years. ManoMotion is one such company and they’ve released a new SDK that specifically tackles opportunities around input and interaction for mobile VR platforms.
ManoMotion’s new SDK, which is available on their website today, provides developers with the tools to create experiences centered on hand gestures for VR, AR, and MR applications. ManoMotion’s tech used the cell phone’s camera to pick up hand gestures so users can grab, hit, move, and tap digital objects.
“The launch of our SDK is a significant milestone in our company’s history,” said co-founder and CEO of ManoMotion Daniel Carlman in a prepared statement. “It marks the start of a new community and knowledge base around gesture technology, to which ManoMotion will show undying commitment and contribution. We can’t wait to see what developers create!”
Google Daydream took an important step forward with its controller for VR input, but is still very limited when compared to tethered headsets. If ManoMotion manages to provide truly robust interaction while not hogging up smart devices’ already limited power, it could be an incredible leap for the platform. Also, while this is immediately more impactful for mobile platforms that have limited interaction, technology such as this could impact the more advanced VR headsets in the future as well.
