0.4 is outttt! Introducing hand detection | State of Matterless #16
Happy Friday the 13th! Don’t worry, today’s update brings nothing but great tidings for all things Matterless. Let’s get to it!
0.4 Is Out!
Build 0.4 is now available for our closed Beta testers, and we couldn’t be more excited to achieve this critical milestone in the pursuit of Matterless magic. To recap last week’s State of Matterless, this build includes an adorable new Shiba Inu with its own set of animations and a Karma Leaderboard to compare yourself against other users. Mood meters have also been updated with a new base system which future changes will be based on, along with general stability and UI improvements. We’re several steps closer now to making digital things real, so here’s what we’ll be working on as the journey continues.
Hand Detection
The critical linchpin that separates our vision of Matterless from everything else that’s come before is pinpoint-accurate hand detection technology. This lets you literally reach beyond your device and interact with the Matterless realm with your own hand. We’re working with Auki Labs to integrate the first iteration of the cutting-edge hand detection module, which utilizes a single camera (monocular RGB camera) for hand detection, excluding the need for multiple cameras or a LIDAR for depth perception. The module can also identify the 3D position of each of the 21 points on your hand, and distinguish between the left and the right hand. Currently, it's more accurate than anything else of its kind we've seen.
Petting
Why is this such an exciting development? The end benefit of this major milestone is that you’ll be able to reach out and interact with your Matterless pet in a number of ways, including petting them to improve their mood and tapping on a surface to call them over! This is essential in cementing the pet experience as digital but real, and the applications for hand detection will go much, much further. We can’t wait to experiment further to see where it can lead us.
Follow the Fun
Within the Matterless team, we’ve designated every other Friday as “Creative Exploration Day”. On Fridays the development team is free to pursue any idea they feel will further the Matterless mission, including ideas that are well beyond their job scope. As production on the app ramps up and the work is increasing, it’s all the more important that everyone is given time and flexibility to really stretch their creativity. Trying new things can foster an environment in which everyone is inspired by each others’ experiments. With hand detection being our next priority, I’m excited to see what crazy ideas we come up with!
That covers this week’s update. As you can see, things are progressing from one amazing milestone to the next. See you next week!
— Kerwin, community manager, Matterless Studios
