PyHeadTracker documentation

This package provides an interface for interacting with head tracking hardware in Python.

The use of head trackers can greatly enhance the user experience in applications such as immersive audio, virtual reality, gaming, and assistive technologies. By providing precise head position and orientation data, developers can create more immersive and responsive environments for their users. However, interacting with different head trackers and their APIs can be a tedious process. PyHeadTracker aims to simplify this process by providing a unified interface for various head tracking devices in python.

Contents:

• Home
• Usage
  • Hardware Setup
  • Create and open
  • Getting data
  • Relay data
  • Close connection
• Examples
  • Supperware
  • Camera-based tracking
  • openXR
• API Documentation
  • pyheadtracker.dtypes
  • pyheadtracker.diy
  • pyheadtracker.supperware
  • pyheadtracker.cam
  • pyheadtracker.hmd
  • pyheadtracker.out
  • pyheadtracker.utils

Installation

The package can be installed via pip:

pip install pyheadtracker

Availability of features by platform and Python version:

Feature	Python 3.10-3.12	Python 3.13+	macOS
DIY Head Tracker (MrHeadTracker)	✓	✓	✓
Supperware Head Tracker	✓	✓	✓
Webcam-based tracking (cam)	✓	✗	✗
OpenXR HMD (hmd)	✓	✓	✗

Note

The mediapipe-numpy2 package (required for webcam-based tracking) is only compatible with Python ≤3.12. The pyopenxr package (required for HMD support) is only available on Linux and Windows.

Supported devices

• Supperware Head Tracker 1

• IEM MrHeadTracker

• Webcam-based head tracking using OpenCV and MediaPipe FaceLandmarker

• Head mounted displays using openXR (only on Windows/Linux)

If you are missing a device, feel free to contact us or open an issue.

Supported output targets

• IEM Plug-In Suite

  • SceneRotator

  • DirectivityShaper

  • StereoEncoder

  • RoomEncoder

• SPARTA

• TASCAR

Roadmap

In future releases, we plan to support additional head tracking devices and improve the overall functionality of the library. Some of the planned features include:

• Support for

  • SteamVR HMDs (e.g. HTC Vive)

  • OptiTrack

• Standalone CLI tool

Source Code

Development happens on the IEM’s GitLab instance. The repository is mirrored to GitHub as well to make forking and contributing easier.

License

PyHeadTracker is licensed under the MIT License.