Motion capture technology gets more affordable and useful all the time. In recent years, we’ve seen the technology progress from camera and marker-based systems that cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to portable, wearable technology that is available for a few thousand dollars. Several companies build motion capture suits, including Noitom with its Perception Neuron system, Rokoko with its SmartSuit Pro, and Shadow Motion with its Shadow MoCap suit. Now, a fourth company called Kaaya Tech is hopping into the MoCap suit market, and its HoloSuit product offers more than just motion capture. HoloSuit brings haptic feedback to the mix.
Kaaya Tech offers two HoloSuit configurations. The basic model offers 26 sensors, which is more than most MoCap suits that we’ve seen, and the higher-end version includes 36 sensors, which puts it at the top of the chart for active tracking points. The HoloSuit system includes a jacket with sensors in the arms. Kaaya Tech also demonstrated a sports jersey with its embedded sensor technology. The rest of the sensors fit in the legs and hips of a pair of pants, and a pair of gloves with sensors for all 10 digits. (The electronics are removable, so you can machine wash the suit.)
Kaaya Tech also installed buttons for each finger in the digits of the glove to enable input beyond gestures, which is something we’ve not yet seen in a MoCap suit. The extended version with 36 sensors also includes a tracked head band, an extra sensor for your shoulders, and sensors for your feet.
Unlike the other MoCap suits on the market, Kaaya Tech isn’t targeting Hollywood and the video games industries, despite their obvious need for motion capture technology. Instead, the company sees an opportunity to use MoCap technology for physical training simulations for dangerous industrial jobs, such as factory lines and heavy machinery operators. The company also sees the HoloSuit as an excellent sports training tool.
We had a chance to speak with Harsha Kikkeri, the CEO of the company, at Augmented World Expo, and he explained that HoloSuit training simulations could let the wearer know when they made a mistake. Kaaya Tech’s software can capture the HoloSuit telemetry data, which you can load on other HoloSuits for other people to follow. And if they stray from the original movement, the suit would warn them with haptic feedback.
The HoloSuit would enable you to practice your golf swing and know exactly where to improve your form, or you could train yourself to follow a specific process on dangerous equipment without putting yourself or others in real danger. The HoloSuit technology could even help factory line workers ensure that they don’t miss a step of their process throughout their workday.
Kaaya Tech has already formed partnerships with professional golf, cricket, and yoga trainers to develop training simulation software. The company is also working with the Indian military to create a submarine training simulator with HoloSuit technology, and working with a 10th dan (highest rank in Karate) from Okinawa to create a HoloSuit karate training simulator.
Available Through Kickstarter
The HoloSuit isn’t yet available at retail, but the company is accepting orders through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, and it expects to ship the product in November. Kaaya Tech is offering the HoloSuit piece by piece, with the Jacket and Jersey for $499, jersey or track pants for $399, and a pair or gloves for $799. The company is also offering an early bird special for $1,499, which includes the full kit. The system supports all major platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices.
