Book Image

Mastering Leap Motion

By : Brandon Sanders
Book Image

Mastering Leap Motion

By: Brandon Sanders

Overview of this book

<p>Leap Motion technology offers a truly innovative way of interacting with software. Traditionally, computing has always involved the use of a keyboard, a mouse, or a controller. Leap Motion gives developers a new solution to creating a radically new user experience, in a way that is both comprehensive and disruptive in the most exciting sense of the term. From typing to robotic hands and virtual harps, Leap Motion makes human and computer interaction so much more immersive.</p> <p>Beginning with a quick step-by-step guide to get you set up and an overview of how the Leap Motion API works to consolidate your knowledge, the book then looks closely at writing a 2D painting application and explores how to create a 3D application. Featuring diagrams, screenshots, and code examples to guide you as you master Leap Motion, this book will keep you in touch with the future of technology.</p>

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Mastering Leap Motion
Brandon Sanders
Nov, 2014 | 248 pages
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Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Mastering Leap Motion
Mastering Leap Motion
Credits
Credits
Foreword
Foreword
About the Author
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Reviewers
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Preface
Free Chapter
1
Introduction to the World of Leap Motion
Introduction to the World of Leap Motion
Setting up the Leap Motion device
Installing the Leap Motion Developers' SDK
Installing the Java JDK
Setting up your IDE
Structure of the Leap Motion Application Programming Interface (API)
Creating a simple framework program within the Eclipse IDE
Looking forward – the Skeletal Tracking API
Summary
2
What the Leap Sees – Dealing with Fingers, Hands, Tools, and Gestures
What the Leap Sees – Dealing with Fingers, Hands, Tools, and Gestures
Handling hands and fingers
Detecting gestures and tools
Gestures
Some (albeit minor) limitations to keep in mind
Summary
3
What the User Sees – User Experience, Ergonomics, and Fatigue
What the User Sees – User Experience, Ergonomics, and Fatigue
When to use the Leap (and more importantly, when not to)
The Leap Motion user experience guidelines
Ergonomics and user fatigue
A case study – the Artemis Quadrotor Simulator
Summary
4
Creating a 2D Painting Application
Creating a 2D Painting Application
Laying out the framework for Leapaint
Creating the graphical frontend
Interpreting Leap data to render on the graphical frontend
Testing it out
Improving the application
Summary
5
Creating a 3D Application – a Crash Course in Unity 3D
Creating a 3D Application – a Crash Course in Unity 3D
A brief introduction to Unity
Installing and setting up Unity 3D
Common jargon found in Unity
Creating a project
Setting the scene
Summary
6
Creating a 3D Application – Integrating the Leap Motion Device with a 3D Toolkit
Creating a 3D Application – Integrating the Leap Motion Device with a 3D Toolkit
Setting up the scene to receive Leap Motion input
A quick summary – the fundamentals of Unity scripts
Laying out a framework of scripts
Rendering hands
Rendering buttons and detecting button presses
Summary
7
Creating a 3D Application – Controlling a Flying Entity
Creating a 3D Application – Controlling a Flying Entity
Creating the flying entity
Retrieving user input with the HandController class
Interpreting user input with the Player class
Putting everything together and testing it
Summary
8
Troubleshooting, Debugging, and Optimization
Troubleshooting, Debugging, and Optimization
Making sure your Leap is connected
Keeping the Leap Motion SDK updated
Cutting back on Leap Motion API calls
Handling the NoSuchMethod and NoClassDefFound errors in Java
Custom calibration of the Leap Motion Controller
Summary
9
Going beyond the Leap Motion Controller
Going beyond the Leap Motion Controller
What you've learned so far
The Leap Motion Controller standing next to other emerging technologies
Reliability and safety concerns with the Leap in industrial settings
Going beyond – ideas to control hardware and robots with the Leap Motion Controller
FIRST Robotics Competition Robots
Making a robot of your own!
Summary
Index
Index

About the Author

Brandon Sanders is an 18-year-old roboticist who spends much of his time designing, building, and programming new and innovative systems, including simulators, autonomous coffee makers, and robots for competition. At present, he attends Gilbert Finn Polytechnic (which is a homeschool) as he prepares for college. He is the founder and owner of Mechakana Systems, a website and company devoted to robotic systems and solutions.

As a home-educated student, he's had the unique opportunity to focus his efforts on the fields that interest him. This has made him successful as the team captain for the FIRST Robotics teams: #4982 Café Bot and #1444 the Lightning Lancers. He has also served as a scientific research assistant to the Chairman of the Washington University Physics Department, where he wrote software to aid in the calculation of equations of state for dense matter in neutron stars.

He has received numerous awards and accolades as a result of his involvement in various programs. Two of his most notable achievements are FIRST Robotics Competition Dean's List Award and FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Inspire Award.

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