Someone Please Invent a BETTER Headtracker

[Cpt Cuckoo]

Tech is constantly advancing!

It's been a few years now that headtrackers have been available.

 

Isn't it time that someone invented a BETTER headtracker device? There is no reason why one still should have to mount a clunky PS3 camera onto a monitor. First off, they are unstable when mounted usually and second, too clunky to mount on a laptop lid without jury rigging it and making a mess.

 

Either invent a better PS3 camera that will fit on a laptop or make them so they can EFFECTIVELY use the camera in the Laptop lid.

 

Just wondering if anyone has solutions to this.

[Mars Exulte]

Yeah... TrackIR. Just cause it has the spindly legs doesn't mean you can't modify it. Btw, they're designed to go in front because they need to see the lights and your head movement clearly. That's hard to do from the sides unless your head is studded in lights or cameras.

 

The other option is something like the Vive, using multiple free standing cameras, or Rift/Reverb with integrated cameras. There are better options than a $30 PS3 camera, you just need to buy them, and understand the constraints of the method.

 

Btw, your laptop camera will work fine in theory, provided it's not a crap camera on it's own. That's not a ''tracker'' issue, that's using cheap jury rig solutions and being surprised they perform like cheap jury rigged solutions.

[A2597]

ED Tracker comes to mind...

 

 

There's also the ones that use Facetracking rather than IR LEDs, but need a well lit environment.

 

 

Tobii Eye uses eye tracking and gets good reviews...

[Cpt Cuckoo]

ED Tracker used the old PS3 though doesn't it? ...So far as I know no one has come up with a way to clamp those cameras onto a skinny laptop lid without making it into some abortion job. Face-tracker is old tech and it's crap.

 

Tobii.......Haven't ever heard of that one. I'll go take a look at it.

 

er.............doesn't look promising!

Edited September 29, 2020 by Cpt Cuckoo

[Bailey]

If I had a PS3 camera I'd design a mount in fusion 360 (free) and 3D print it. Only if....

[Cpt Cuckoo]

I'm thinking further out there than those ideas. All these headtrackers use some kind of Infrared of Ultra light or something don't they? The lens of the PS3 lens is then modified with a filter so that it picks up the light from the head set. There has to be another way. One that can use the webcam that comes with any laptop and that doesn't need the filter.

[=475FG= Dawger]

VR is what you are looking for.

[Cpt Cuckoo]

VR is what you are looking for.

 

 

Yeah....After I win the lottery!

[SVgamer72]

If you have an iPhone or iPad, there is an app for that...

 

http://kinotracker.kinoni.com/

 

I have not tried it personally, but it is new player in the space.

[Bailey]

I'm thinking further out there than those ideas. All these headtrackers use some kind of Infrared of Ultra light or something don't they? The lens of the PS3 lens is then modified with a filter so that it picks up the light from the head set. There has to be another way. One that can use the webcam that comes with any laptop and that doesn't need the filter.

Google "Smooth Track". You may like that better.

[Cpt Cuckoo]

If you have an iPhone or iPad, there is an app for that...

 

http://kinotracker.kinoni.com/

 

I have not tried it personally, but it is new player in the space.

 

yeah I read the reviews for an Android version of that and the consensus was that while it was good it wasn't worth giving up a headtracker for. Plus they had not developed a way to plug it in to your USB port. So it ran on the phone's battery.

 

The Kinotracker looks like it has pretty bad latency from demo.

[Cpt Cuckoo]

Google "Smooth Track". You may like that better.

 

Yup...this is the one that Grim Reaper reviewed. He said its not worth giving up is DelanClip for. It's 10 bucks. It has no USB connection, so you are on phone battery. And there's no way to mount it on a laptop. Same problem. However, It might be worth jury-rigging a way to get it on a laptop if my phone is good enough to use and they finally develop the USB connection.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Cpt Cuckoo

[erniedaoage]

Aruco Marker and Opentrack software.

 

[SmilingBandit]

ED Tracker used the old PS3 though doesn't it? ...So far as I know no one has come up with a way to clamp those cameras onto a skinny laptop lid without making it into some abortion job. Face-tracker is old tech and it's crap.

 

Tobii.......Haven't ever heard of that one. I'll go take a look at it.

 

er.............doesn't look promising!

 

ED Tracker is a 3DOF gyro based head tracker. It's basically the same parts that let your phone know which direction you are looking at. The down side, from what I researched, is that it's only 3DOF so you can't lean or scoot forward.

[Johnime]

I have made one myself on iPhone called Head Tracker, here's an early demo I made for DCS, I have create two newer opentrack profiles, with better performance and smoothness than the one shown in video.

 

here's the video, skip to 1:37 mark where DCS launches

 

You can find the new opentrack profiles (Kalman filter) download from this website: https://jbcconsulting448679429.wordpress.com/head-tracking-quick-start/

Edited September 30, 2020 by Johnime

[Cpt Cuckoo]

I have made one myself on iPhone called Head Tracker, here's an early demo I made for DCS, I have create two newer opentrack profiles, with better performance and smoothness than the one shown in video.

 

here's the video, skip to 1:37 mark where DCS launches

 

You can find the new opentrack profiles (Kalman filter) download from this website: https://jbcconsulting448679429.wordpress.com/head-tracking-quick-start/

 

That's looks quite good! .... I didn't notice and real latency either. How do I get or make one for Android?

[QuiGon]

How about using Track IR 5 instead of the PS3 camera?

[Taz1004]

This has bonus benefit of looking cute.

 

[Cpt Cuckoo]

How about using Track IR 5 instead of the PS3 camera?

 

Will the Track IR5 camera fit snugly onto a screen that is only 1/4 inch thick?

[QuiGon]

Will the Track IR5 camera fit snugly onto a screen that is only 1/4 inch thick?

I haven't meassured it, but the mount is rather flexible to adjust for different screen thicknesses.

[Cpt Cuckoo]

I haven't meassured it, but the mount is rather flexible to adjust for different screen thicknesses.

 

Well, even if it won't clamp tight at a 1/4 inch I suppose I can place a chunk of Styrofoam against the lid to make it clamp better. I wonder if anyone has tried that. I actually have a few pieces of Styrofoam for such an occasion as that.

[rob10]

Well, even if it won't clamp tight at a 1/4 inch I suppose I can place a chunk of Styrofoam against the lid to make it clamp better. I wonder if anyone has tried that. I actually have a few pieces of Styrofoam for such an occasion as that.

Mine on top of my monitor that is 1/2" thick no problem, HOWEVER it does NOT clamp -- it simply sits on top of it with 3 arms that gravity holds in place (quite secure if it's sitting on a desk or something).

But having said all that, the camera itself it held to the base with a magnet, so you could likely make something to clamp on and use the magnet to connect to it.

[jym]

TrackIR 5 on a monitor about 1/2" thick:

TrackIR 5 by Jean-Yves, on Flickr

 

TrackIR 5 by Jean-Yves, on Flickr

 

The three legs on the camera are sufficiently articulated that they'll grip a 1/4"-thick monitor. A little blu-tack will keep it in place.

[jym]

If you do go TrackIR, don't waste any money on the TrackClip Pro. It's wired, which is annoying; and fragile, which is worse. The few direct wireless replacements I've tried are, IME, just as fragile.

 

I've just replaced my TrackClip with a Delanclip Fusion. Seems pretty sturdy and works at least as well as the TrackClip Pro.

Edited October 2, 2020 by jym

[unhappytroll]

This is not looking like it's fragile. And it is a full copy in dimensions of Pro clip, except it's wireless.