Using leapmotion when it's vertically mounted

[sameernoorani]

I am trying to use the lapmotion device while it's veritcall mounted on a wall. Apart from the X,Y,Z coordinates being different, the fingers are not detected very well.

I am wondering if anyone has found a solution to this? It also seems the palm position sometimes jumps a lot, has anyone found a solution to this?

Thanks in advance!!

[katem]

Hey @sameernoorani --

The device is optimized to track your hands in a horizontal position in both top up and top down modes. Top down mode is currently in beta and was built for VR development -- it can be toggled on under the "Tracking" section of the Leap Motion Control panel.

Can you tell me a bit more about your setup/detail as to why you'd prefer a vertical mount? Is it a space thing?
Also, which version of the software are you using, and what type of computer/operating system are you working on

[AlanDavis]

I posted some advice for art installations and kiosks on our blog, including how to mount and position the controller for optimal tracking:

If the Leap Motion Controller can only see the side of the hands or tips of the fingers, tracking will not be as reliable, so position the device to see the palm or back of the hands. This will typically be directly above or below the interaction space, such as on top of a podium.

If you mount the device vertically on a wall and point your fingers directly at it, then only your fingertips and knuckles are visible. Tracking works best when it can see more of your hand.

I'd love to hear what you're building and what kinds of interactions you're designing for so we can recommend an ideal mounting location and orientation.

[tofanheu]

Hi Katem,

I'm new to this scene.

Just bought the Leap Motion.

I'm trying to develop a prototype for what would be a gesture-based light switch.

Since most light switches are mounted vertically (on/into a wall) I would like to mount it vertically and facing towards the inside of a room.

But from what I gather there are some limitations:

1. It's doesn't track points/ tip of my finger.
2. It's infra red LEDs face interference from external light sources, e.g. a window.

This makes me think that facing it vertically, in a room, to act as a switch would be extremely unreliable. Because of light interference and the finger pointing issues.

I'm now also thinking that even if this wall switch had the leap motion facing upwards, the light interference from nearby windows might throw it all our of wack as well.

Can you please let me know your thoughts? And also if you think there are different depth sensors that might be more applicable for my needs?

Still interested to develop some stuff for the Leap, but yeah need to know the technical feasibility.

[katem]

Hi @tofanheu,

We've definitely seen some interesting "Smart Home"/Internet of Things hacks akin to the one you're describing pop up in our community. What you're describing is certainly feasible. Have you played around at all with Philips Hue?

Also -- wanted to ask -- is there any particular reason you need the device to be vertical? We currently don't support that mode, but our "Top Down" mode, made for VR, could be interesting to experiment with here.

[tofanheu]

Thanks katem,

Pretty interesting.

The main reason i wanted it vertically mounted, was because I was thinking about how the device would sit on a wall. And also how people would interact with it in front of the wall, not necessarily by putting their hand above the device.

Also I guess the sunlight would be the prevailing issue, no?

For the top-down modes, would you know where I can find out more about that?

[katem]

It's technically designed for VR applications. You can enable it via the Controller.setPolicy function using the POLICY_OPTIMIZE_HMD flag. More info on troubleshooting everything up here. What language are you building in? I can point you to more relevant resources.

[tofanheu]

Thanks Katem. Toying with JS at the moment (and using it with some libraries to control an arduino)

[GHf008821d0f543f]

HI,

Do you mind sharing how you changed the X, Y, Z coordinates of the leap motion?

Thanks,

a Fellow Leap Developer

[katem]

Who was that question directed to?

[mcgern]

Hi,

I ended up here because I also am curious about the potential of vertically mounting the leap motion, and this was the google destination.

The use case would be mounting the leap pointing outwards on/near the glass in a display case e.g. a shop window, where you don't have a horizontal platform to place the leap on.

Thanks,
Jarrod

[Joe_Ward]

This probably wouldn't work very well for two reasons. The user's fingers are likely to be pointing straight into the device cameras most of the time. The software will have a hard time recognizing fingers in this position since they will blend in with the hand. Also, since the users body will be right behind the hands in the camera's field of view which reduces the contrast between hands and background, making it more difficult to isolate the hands from their surroundings.

If you can mount the Leap on a wedge so that it is maybe a 45 degree angle instead of completely vertical, that should alleviate both those problems. (You might have to experiment to find the optimal angle.)

[s3489587]

Hi,

I'm a final year industrial design student doing my honours thesis on interactive light objects and wellbeing. I was wondering how one would go about to have a smart light/home product controlled by a Leap Motion controller?

I have no field of knowledge or expertise on this area of programming. I've seen some examples online on videos and some open source stuff on GitHub, but I have no clue how to even start.

I have a timeframe to get my prototype made before exhibition and need my time to fabricate the object itself. I was hoping if someone could collaborate or have the services to do the coding side of my project.

[s3489587]

We've definitely seen some interesting "Smart Home"/Internet of Things hacks akin to the one you're describing pop up in our community. What you're describing is certainly feasible. Have you played around at all with Philips Hue?

I want to do something similar to this video. How does one approach to code/program something like this for a research project that I'm doing for wellbeing.

I'm also looking into circadian rhythmic lighting and having that as a setting with a simple gesture.