Some Users Wonβt Need to Wear Vive Trackers Soon Thanks to Upcoming AI Body Tracking Update
HTC has teased that some users may not even need to wear their latest Vive Ultimate Trackers soon thanks to an upcoming AI-powered body tracking update.
HTCβs Vive Ultimate Trackers are capable of inside-out body tracking thanks to the inclusion of two on-board cameras that track its own position in space, requiring you to strap them to your elbows, feet, or hips for full-body tracking.
Now the company has shown off a video about how its Vive XR Elite headset, Face Tracker module, and Vive Ultimate Tracker pucks can be useful in physical therapy. In it, we get a look at a single Vive Tracker pointed at a user doing a sit-up, with the device placed on a nearby tripod, ostensibly making sure the user is executing the right moves.
βIn addition, the incoming AI body tracking doesnβt require the patients to wear the trackers,β the company says in the video. βThis will lead the rehabilitation experience to a new level.β
While itβs clear the update is being positioned for enterprise use, when the company first showed off is AI body tracking at GDC 2024 back in March the company said the new feature would service βVTube, Arcade, healthcare and moreβ with the OpenXR-supported device capable of tracking 26 joints, suggesting it will be broadly released as an integral software update.
As shown in the GDC 2024 demo, it seems to be primarily targeting non-VR use cases, working essentially like a webcam attached to an AI pipeline. Weβve reached out to HTC for more clarity on when/how the update will work, so check back soon.
Released in late 2023, the $200 Vive Ultimate TrackersΒ are the companyβs first to make use of inside-out optical tracking, departing from the SteamVR base station ecosystem that drives its various PC VR headsets andΒ Vive Tracker 3.0Β released in 2021.
Thanks to Antony βSkarredGhostβ Vitillo for pointing us to the news.
The post Some Users Wonβt Need to Wear Vive Trackers Soon Thanks to Upcoming AI Body Tracking Update appeared first on Road to VR.
Image courtesy HTC Vive