A London-based hardware and software startup company Litho had come up with an innovative device, a controller which is worn on fingers. This device has control over spatial interaction in augmented reality(AR), IoT devices, smart home and has various applications in virtual reality(VR).
Litho can be easily connected via Bluetooth to smartphones or AR headsets. It consists of arrays of motion sensors and haptic feedback system to ensure better performance.
The device has two surfaces-the upperside and the underside. The underside of the device is a touchpad which is made for 2D inputs like scrolling, swiping, tapping and pointing.
Litho helps to interact with smart devices without the need for a smartphone. With the help of touchpad placed on the underside of the device, the interaction with smart devices is made more convenient for users.
Litho controls smart home devices by actions such as operating virtual dimmer, selecting the right bulb and controlling gadgets like thermostats without the help of a phone. It is as simple as pointing and swiping in either direction by using Litho.
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The device can make interactions with readymade real objects with the use of smartphones. It provides features like create, build, manipulate and navigate during the interactions.
The initial idea of the Litho design team was to use the device with augmented reality glasses like Microsoft’s HoloLens, but now it is largely used in augmented reality platform of Apple’s mobile.
Litho’s current model comes only in a single size where the anchors are extended to both sides providing a larger touchpad area.
Lately, Litho has been letting developers use the controller and providing access for the SDK for those joining in the startup’s beta programme paying $199. SDK uses Unity which is the most popular 3D game development platform. Thus developers can develop apps which consist of the features of pointing and identifying directions.
This can help gamers to make interactions with 3D. It opens a wide opportunity for designers and architects for creating a very precise model for their work. To make this device more commercial, this startup company has already got a set of investors. U.S. venture firm Greycroft, Paul Heydon and Chris Albinson with some other investors have already raised fund for its further plans.