The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive might slowly be arriving at the doors of the earliest of pre-order customers over the next few weeks, but these are far from the only virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) on the horizon. FOVE, a unique device that features eye-tracking technology, is also in the works right now following a successful Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign. One of the major features that’s been lacking from the kit so far is positional tracking. As the creators have recently explained, though, that’s something they’re working on fixing.
In a monthly update to subscribers, the company provided an update on implementing positional tracking into the kit. “In order to make positional tracking possible, we need to place infrared LEDs around our HMD,” the update read. “At the same time we are very passionate about our streamlined design, and that is is why we want to hide the LEDs behind an external shell. To do this, we need materials which are strong enough, cost-effective and light enough, let the IR LED light pass through, and look good with both black and white colors.
“The design has proved to be a long challenge because we want to make the device white, contrasting with most other HMDs with positional tracking that are black. After loads of testing, we have finally found a good material that we are happy with.”
Check back with VRFocus for the latest on FOVE.
