LeapMotion, the last I looked, was two stereo cameras and three IR emitters, plus their own special software algorithms. I don't think this makes the problem si

LeapMotion, the last I looked, was two stereo cameras and three IR emitters, plus their own special software algorithms. I don't think this makes the problem simpler if the problem you're trying to solve is a low-cost, extremely robust hand detection system that can be used with any device that has a camera. Those three IR emitters aren't standard on any device or category that I'm aware of. (Apple's iPhone uses an IR pattern emitter.) A software-only solution has the advantage of potentially improving dramatically with new ML models. LeapMotions's physical hardware - revolutionary when it launched – now seem like a disadvantage given the pace of human model detection (range of the IR sensors, locked into lower resolution cameras, etc.) Solving it in software...assuming there's not a performance hit, is usually the better solution, in my opinion.