Evaluation of leap motion controller with a high precision optical tracking system

Abstract

The paper presents an evaluation of the performance of a Leap Motion Controller. A professional optical tracking system was used as a reference system. 37 stationary points were tracked in 3D space in order to evaluate the consistency and accuracy of the Controller's measurements. The standard deviation of these measurements varied from 8.1 μm to 490 μm, mainly depending on the azimuth and distance from the Controller. In the second part of the experiment, a constant distance was provided between two points, which were then moved and tracked within the entire sensory space. The deviation of the measured distance changed significantly with the height above the Controller. The sampling frequency also proved to be very non-uniform. The Controller represents a revolution in the field of gesture-based human-computer interaction; however, it is currently unsuitable as a replacement for professional motion tracking systems. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.