Ultraleap, a market leader in hand tracking and haptics hardware, announced on Wednesday it had secured roughly £60 million GBP in a round of funding.
The Bristol-based firm secured the funding from investors such as Tencent, CMB International, Mayfair Equity Partners, and raised additional capital with British Patient Capital’s ‘Future Fund: Breakthrough’ accelerator programme.
The added capital will enable Ultraleap to develop hand tracking and haptics hardware for distribution across a variety spatial computing platforms.
📢 We’ve participated in @ultraleap‘s £60m Series D funding round, one of the first investments from Future Fund: Breakthrough.
The new funding will allow Ultraleap to continue expansion and R&D in its hand tracking and mid-air haptic technologies.
👉 https://t.co/DpBIyRdvl4 pic.twitter.com/bbsWTOHbJE
— British Patient Capital (@BPatientCap) November 17, 2021
Ultraleap is also investing into Metaverse technologies with its hardware to “remove boundaries between physical and digital worlds,” according to Tom Carter, CEO of Ultraleap, who added hand tracking and haptics technology were suitable for “all parts of life” such as home, office, cars, or public settings.
He continued, adding,
“Our aim with this Series D raise is to accelerate the transition to the primary interface – your hands – because there are no physical controllers, buttons or touchscreens in anyone’s vision of the metaverse”
Hand Tracking and Mid-Air Haptics
The UK firm is developing haptics solutions with a range of hands-free hardware that accurately simulates real-world interaction in a VR environment.
The firm’s wireless hand-tracking tools accurately create real-time 3D renders of a user’s hands.
Haptics use equipment such as gloves to create pressure and touch feedback, and firms such as Meta and HaptX are developing advanced gloves using microfluid technology to simulate realistic interactions.
Gemini Hand Tracking
Ultraleap is developing its ‘Gemini’ framework, which supports enterprise-grade hand tracking hardware and software with a selection of hand tracking solutions.
Its haptics solutions incorporate infrared light to track a user’s hands and send input data directly to a computing device.
Ultraleap has a selection of hand tracking hardware available, including:
- Stereo IR 170 Camera Module: Intended for software integration, this model can track a user’s hands from a 10 to 75cm distance.
- Stereo IR 170 Evaluation Kit: An open model for VR application development with a similar tracking distance from 10 to 75cm.
- Leap Motion Controller: One of the most important hand tracking solutions for consumers and the only one certified for general public use. This piece of kit is the lightest, although Ultraleap has decreased the tracking distance to 10 to 60cm. The firm built the device for general public and enterprise deployment, although the controller supports VR development as well.
The UK firm supplies a ‘VR Developer Mount,’ a Leap Motion Controller add-on for use with Oculus Rift and HTC VIVE PC-VR headsets.
Ultraleap’s mountable kit enables developers to create realistic and interactive immersive experiences with its integrated hand tracking features, with further support for augmented reality (AR) smartgalsses.
Mid-Air Haptic Feedback
Ultraleap is not only working to advance hand tracking technology, but is also introducing a hands-free method of relaying real-time haptic feedback to users.
Ultraleap is developing two versions of ‘STRATOS,’ a hands-free haptic device that simulates touch.
The company built its ‘STRATOS Inspire Haptic Module’ for consumers and enterprises with an easy to set up interface and is suitable for entertainment, advertising, or retail use cases.
Ultraleap also supports consumers-facing solutions with its “STRATOS Explore Development Kit” for firms to enhance their training, products, and services.
