In May 2019, Ultrahaptics and Leap Motion became Ultraleap (not to be confused with Magic Leap, which operates in the same space). It’s a name change that represents the marriage of two different, but related, tech startups. Ultrahaptics naturally got top billing, as it was the one that made the acquisition – paying around $30 million for the hand tracking company.
After failing to meet at CES (thanks, COVID), I met with co-founder and CEO Tom Carter in a coffee shop away from the maddening crowds of MWC 2024 to discuss life after the acquisition. Carter became the new company’s CTO after serving in the same role at Ultrahaptics for six years.
At the heart of the acquisition is a push to merge the existing technologies of both companies. The emerging world of extended reality (XR) is the first target. “I think it’s a long-term vision for XR,” Carter said of the deal. “It’s not really a vertical. It’s a lot of different things, and a long-term vision is to interact with 3D content.”
Leap Motion is the older of the two. Founded in 2010, the Bay Area-based startup was best known for its Leap Motion Controller, a small peripheral that features a pair of infrared cameras and infrared LEDs, used for hand tracking. The company zeroed in on virtual reality as a primary use case shortly after Oculus shipped its first headset to Kickstarter backers.
The original product wasn’t particularly stylish, as it was designed to fit onto the front of a VR visor. Ultimately, Leap Motion’s initial hype didn’t translate into lasting success, in part due to many companies deciding to go in-house for tracking solutions.
Founded by a pair of University of Bristol students three years after Leap Motion, Ultrahaptics harnesses ultrasound waves to create haptic feedback. The technology focuses on two initial verticals. The first is the car, using a console-based speaker that lights up to provide a sense of touch to the car’s heads-up displays. This will be achieved through direct partnerships with car manufacturers.
The second is the XR. This, of course, is where Leap Motion technology comes into play. The joint company is working to integrate the two into a device that gives you haptic feedback as it tracks your hands. The resulting product would be a product that would give a sense of weight to the virtual landscape. Lack of sensory feedback has long been an issue in space.
Certainly Ultrahaptics is not the first attempt to address this. A common solution involves using a pair of gloves with more traditional haptic motors built into them—like the kind found in phones. Carter doesn’t think adding more wearable tech to the mix is the solution most XR users are looking for. Instead, the system would take the form of a small “pycnium” that sits on the floor, sending waves to the hands.
This is not the only configuration in which the technology can work. Like the previous Leap Motion product, it would be possible to place a device on the front of the visor, but directionality is important. Below, the ultrasonic waves create a sense of resistance. However, if they move away from the user, the force moves in the opposite direction.
Last month at CES, the company showed off Designer of Senses, an important step towards the commercialization of the joint technology. It is a software package designed to give developers the ability to deliver a tactile experience to the XR. A trial experience at the event included a virtual bonsai tree. Leap Motion technology determines the orientation of your hands in space, while haptics provide haptic feedback when you make contact with the virtual object.
In its final form, it could bring an added sense of reality to the virtual experience, from games to enterprise applications.
