Is this going to be tied to a specific keyboard or will it work with arbitrary physical layouts? eg widths of bottom row keys, total number of keys on the keyboard, shape and size of shift and enter keys (internationalization is fun), laptop vs desktop, media keys, etc?
Other than make you buy our stuff shenanigans I don't see any reason why all of the above shouldn't be doable (mapping the keyboard layout once should be less work than high position real time tracking to show it in VR); but Logitech and HTC's priorities here probably don't align pefectly.
This should work with any object (not just keyboards), given an exact 3D model of the object. That's what the Vive Tracker is meant for. I'm not sure how they're tracking hands.
.... with the cost of the Vive it would still be cheaper than that OLED keyboard that came out a long while back that let you have custom keyboard layouts lol
This basically uses the known keyboard image (due to external tracking) as a 'greenscreen' for the webcam in the front of the Vive to pick out your hands, as the camera alone is worthless for tracking on its own. A similar effect without the need for a front-facing camera could be to use a keyboard with non-contact sensing (e.g. the old Microsoft prototype: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3dUeGNIX4M), which has the advantage that you do not need to keep the keyboard within the camera's field of view (as the camera only covers a small portion of the view).
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DanNeely - Tuesday, November 7, 2017 - link
Is this going to be tied to a specific keyboard or will it work with arbitrary physical layouts? eg widths of bottom row keys, total number of keys on the keyboard, shape and size of shift and enter keys (internationalization is fun), laptop vs desktop, media keys, etc?Other than make you buy our stuff shenanigans I don't see any reason why all of the above shouldn't be doable (mapping the keyboard layout once should be less work than high position real time tracking to show it in VR); but Logitech and HTC's priorities here probably don't align pefectly.
quantcon - Tuesday, November 7, 2017 - link
This should work with any object (not just keyboards), given an exact 3D model of the object. That's what the Vive Tracker is meant for. I'm not sure how they're tracking hands.CaedenV - Tuesday, November 7, 2017 - link
.... with the cost of the Vive it would still be cheaper than that OLED keyboard that came out a long while back that let you have custom keyboard layouts lolPeachNCream - Tuesday, November 7, 2017 - link
Wouldn't it make sense to put sensors inside the keyboard?edzieba - Tuesday, November 7, 2017 - link
This basically uses the known keyboard image (due to external tracking) as a 'greenscreen' for the webcam in the front of the Vive to pick out your hands, as the camera alone is worthless for tracking on its own. A similar effect without the need for a front-facing camera could be to use a keyboard with non-contact sensing (e.g. the old Microsoft prototype: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3dUeGNIX4M), which has the advantage that you do not need to keep the keyboard within the camera's field of view (as the camera only covers a small portion of the view).Lauren Shawn - Monday, November 13, 2017 - link
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