Rokoko launches Smartgloves
Rokoko Electronics has launched Smartgloves, a new set of inertial motion-capture gloves it describes as “the only studio-quality hand and finger tracking solution for under $1k”.
Data captured from the gloves, which are available to pre-order, can be livestreamed to game engines and DCC applications including Unity, UE4, Maya and Blender from the firm’s Rokoko Studio software.
Part of a complete family of low-cost motion-capture solutions
Smartgloves extend Rokoko’s suite of low-cost motion-capture solutions, which include Smartsuit Pro, its inertial mocap suit, and Rokoko Remote, its markerless facial tracking system.
With an MSRP of $995, they’re significantly cheaper than most finger tracking solutions currently available, games controllers like Ultraleap’s Leap Motion excepted.
Among Smartgloves’ direct competitors, Perception Neuron’s Studio Gloves cost $1,499, while prices for other mocap gloves run well into the thousands of dollars.
Stream mocap data live to DCC software or game engines, or export it in standard file formats
Smartgloves are fingerless textile gloves – a polyamide and spandex shell with a leather palm – with a unisex design, available in four sizes, from small to extra large.
Hand and finger tracking is handled via seven inertial sensors embedded in each glove, with data transmitted to the workstation or laptop running Rokoko Studio via WiFi, at up to 100fps.
From there, it can be streamed live to applications with Rokoko Studio integration plugins – currently, Blender, iClone, Maya, MotionBuilder, Unity and Unreal Engine – or exported in FBX, BVH or CSV format.
The gloves connect to a body-mounted power bank running 5000mAh batteries – which have to be bought separately – via USB cables, with Rokoko claiming an operation time of six hours per charge.
Pricing and system requirements
Rokoko’s Smartgloves are due to ship in November 2020, and have an MSRP of $995. The SmartSuit Pro itself costs $2,495. Various bundle deals are available.
A free Basic subscription to Rokoko Studio enables you to export data, but doesn’t support the live integration plugins or facial capture; paid subscriptions cost from $24/user/month to $119/user/month.
See full technical specifications for the Smartgloves on Rokoko’s website