VirtualGrasp · Speeding up the virtual reality revolution with realistic & real-time animation of hand-to-object interaction

Gleechi was founded in 2014 by Dan Song (a PhD in biomedical engineering), Kai Hübner (a PhD in computer science & robotics) & Jakob Johansson (a successful serial entrepreneur), building up on 8+ years of advanced research at Swedish Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in enabling robots to use their manipulators more efficiently. Gleechi develops VirtualGrasp – the first and only standard software solution that creates realistic real-time hand animation & hand-to-object interaction in virtual environments. With predictive & adaptive machine learning algorithms that analyze the physical properties of a virtual object, decipher the most appropriate and realistic grip formation for the hand model and snap to that position, VirtualGrasp will enable immersion and presence in virtual reality not attainable by current ad-hoc methods, such as pre-animation.The global market for virtual reality software is forecasted to reach €32.8bn by 2025 (with videogames, healthcare and manufacturing being the largest segments). Providing a crucial enabling technology for interaction with objects in virtual space, Gleechi aims to address three lucrative market segments: 3D videogames, training in manufacturing and stroke rehabilitation, and grow to €160m+ in revenues and 140+ employees by 2026.Gleechi has been awarded Super Startup of 2015 by Veckans Affärer and is supported by several Swedish Innovation clusters, including STING, VINNOVA, KTH Innovation, EIT ICT Labs, and ALMI. Gleechi was listed as one of the hottest tech startups in Sweden 2018. In 2016 VirtualGrasp was listed as one of the 5 Swedish innovations that “could change your life”. Gleechi’s customers and partners include HTC, CEA, ABB, Intel, Karolinska Institutet and others.In this 24-month Phase 2 project Gleechi is requesting a €2m contribution to advance its technology, productize it, trial in 3 segments and prepare for the market introduction.