HTC Vive Controller Emulation Using Arduino and Leap Motion

Virtual reality once again seems to be the future, after late ‘90s experiments proved to not yet be practical. Processing power is just now getting to the point where thing seem to be on the very near horizon, but how people interface with this new world is still being developed.

One person working with VR control is Florian Maurer. He has most recently been experimenting with emulating HTC Vive controllers using an Arduino, a BNO055 9-axis orientation sensor, and a Leap Motion unit. Working together, these systems can track a person’s hands, and allow for button and joystick input via the Arduino acting as an HID device.

This DIY controller doesn’t need to be gripped since its U-shaped design clasps the hand, leaving his fingers free to perform other tasks like typing or gesturing.

Maurer has already gone through several trials with his VR setup, and it appears that he’s making quite a bit of progress! You can follow along with his work here as well as on his GitHub page.