Project North Star: Difference between revisions

|image = [[File:project north star1.jpg|300px]]

|VR/AR = [[Augmented Reality]]

|Type = [[Head-mounted display]]

|Subtype = [[AR Glasses]], [[PC-Powered AR]]

|Platform = [[SteamVR]], [[Unity]], [[OpenXR]]

|Creator = [[David Holz]], [[Florian Maurer]]

|Developer = [[Leap Motion]], [[Ultraleap]]

|Manufacturer = Open Source (Community Built), [[Combine Reality]]

|Price = less than $100 (at scale), ~$350-600 (DIY)

|Versions = Release 1, Release 2 (2018), Release 3 (2019), Deck X, Northstar Next

|Requires = [[PC]], [[Leap Motion Controller]]

|Operating System = [[Windows]], [[Linux]]

|SD Card Slot =  

|Refresh Rate = 120 Hz (original), 85-90 Hz (Northstar Next)

|Pixel Density = 615 ppi

|Persistence = Low-persistence

|Field of View = over 100° combined

|Horizontal FoV = ~75° per eye (70° per eye alternate spec)

|Vertical FoV = ~105° per eye (95° per eye alternate spec)

|Binocular Overlap = 60-85%

|Ocularity = [[Binocular]]

|Positional Tracking = Optional (with T261/T265, SteamVR, or SLAM sensors)

|Latency = less than 8 ms (LCD + driver)

|Camera = Optional (T261/T265, stereo cameras)

|Wired Video = DisplayPort/Mini DisplayPort

|Wireless Video =  

|WiFi =  

|Bluetooth =  

|Battery Capacity =  

|Battery Life =  

|Charge Time =  

|Sensors = [[Leap Motion Controller]]

'''Project North Star''' is an [[open source]] [[augmented reality]] (AR) [[head-mounted display]] originally designed by [[Leap Motion]] (now [[Ultraleap]]) and first announced in April 2018<ref name="announcement">{{cite web|url=https://www.roadtovr.com/leap-motion-reveals-project-north-star-an-open-source-wide-fov-ar-headset-dev-kit/|title=Leap Motion Reveals Project North Star, an Open-source Wide FOV AR Headset Dev Kit|author=Ben Lang|date=April 9, 2018|website=Road to VR|accessdate=June 26, 2025}}</ref>. The project was open-sourced on June 6, 2018<ref name="opensource">{{cite web|url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/project-north-star-open-source-documents,37222.html|title=Leap Motion Open Sources The Project North Star AR Headset's Schematics|author=Kevin Carbotte|date=June 6, 2018|website=Tom's Hardware|accessdate=June 26, 2025}}</ref>, providing the community with hardware designs, software, and documentation to build their own AR headsets under an [[Apache License 2.0]]<ref name="apache">{{cite web|url=https://blog.leapmotion.com/north-star-open-source/|title=Project North Star is Now Open Source|website=Leap Motion Blog|date=June 6, 2018|accessdate=June 26, 2025}}</ref>. The headset is notable for being one of the only open source AR headsets widely used, as well as its wide [[field of view]], high [[resolution]], and integration with Leap Motion's [[hand tracking]] technology.

Project North Star represented Leap Motion's vision for making high-quality AR experiences accessible to developers and researchers. The headset features dual 1600×1440 displays running at 120 [[frames per second]], providing a combined field of view exceeding 100 degrees<ref name="announcement"/>. This was significantly wider than contemporary AR headsets like [[Microsoft HoloLens]] (approximately 40° FOV) and [[Magic Leap One]] (approximately 55° FOV).

The Project North Star development began as an internal project at Leap Motion to explore the boundaries of AR interface design. The team, led by [[David Holz]] (CEO of Leap Motion) and [[Florian Maurer]], initially created a prototype with even more ambitious specifications: a 105° × 105° combined field of view with 1440×2560 resolution per eye using 5.5" smartphone displays<ref name="journey">{{cite web|url=https://docs.projectnorthstar.org/blogs/our-journey-to-the-north-star|title=Our Journey to the North Star|website=Project North Star Documentation|accessdate=June 26, 2025}}</ref>. This early prototype was bulky but served as a baseline for what could be achieved.

| '''Release 1''' || April 2018 (Internal) || Proof-of-concept; >100° diagonal FOV, 3.5″ LCDs

| '''Release 2''' || June 6, 2018 || First public open-source release under Apache 2.0 license<ref name="opensource"/>

| '''Mechanical Update 1''' || June 28, 2018 || Added support for standard Leap Motion Controller and alternate headgear<ref name="update1">{{cite web|url=https://blog.leapmotion.com/project-north-star-mechanical-update-1/|title=Project North Star: Mechanical Update 1|author=Florian Maurer|date=June 28, 2018|website=Leap Motion Blog|accessdate=June 26, 2025}}</ref>

| '''Release 3''' || January 23, 2019 || Major mechanical redesign for improved comfort and adjustability<ref name="update3">{{cite web|url=https://blog.leapmotion.com/project-north-star-mechanical-update-3/|title=Project North Star: Mechanical Update 3|author=Florian Maurer|date=January 23, 2019|website=Leap Motion Blog|accessdate=June 26, 2025}}</ref>

| '''Deck X''' || August 2020 || Integrated circuit board design by CombineReality to reduce cable count

| '''Northstar Next''' || 2022-present || Single USB-C cable, modular design, [[OpenXR]] runtime support

 

* Refresh rate: 120 Hz (90 Hz in some configurations, 85-90 Hz for Northstar Next)

* Display technology: Fast-switching LCD with low-persistence backlighting

* Field of view: >100° combined (approximately 70-75° horizontal × 95-105° vertical per eye)

* Binocular overlap: 60-85%

* '''Hand tracking''': [[Leap Motion Controller]]

** Tracking frequency: 150 Hz

** Tracking volume: 180° × 180°

** Tracking range: Up to 60cm from controller

** [[Intel RealSense]] T261/T265 for 6DOF tracking

** IMU-based 3DOF tracking

** External tracking systems ([[SteamVR]], [[OptiTrack]])

| Displays || 2× BOE 3.5" 1600×1440 LCD panels (VS035ZSM-NW0-69P0) || BOE Technology

| Display Driver || Custom board supporting dual MIPI displays (Analogix ANX7530) || Various manufacturers

| Headgear || Miller Generation IV or 3M Speedglas welding headgear || Commercial

* Material: PLA, PETG, or eSun PLA Pro recommended

===Operating System Support===

* [[Windows]] (primary support)

* Drivers available on GitHub for displays and tracking sensors

===Notable Builders and Contributors===

! Variant !! Key Features !! Release Date !! Developer

| Deck X || Integrated USB hub, reduced cable count || 2019-2020 || CombineReality

| Northstar Next || Single USB-C cable, modular design, cost-optimized || 2022-ongoing || CombineReality & Community

| Various Community Builds || Custom modifications for specific use cases || Ongoing || Individual builders

The open-source nature of the project created a community of builders who continue to improve and modify the design. Commercial companies like CombineReality emerged to support the community with hard-to-manufacture components. Academic labs have adopted the headset for optical see-through research, citing its open CAD and modifiable optics as key advantages.

 

The project's influence extends beyond its direct implementations, inspiring other open-hardware AR projects and contributing to the broader democratization of AR technology development.

* [[Ultraleap]]

<ref name="combinekit">{{cite web|url=https://www.combinereality.com/northstar-next|title=Northstar Next|website=Combine Reality|accessdate=June 26, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="smartprotoKit">{{cite web|url=https://www.smart-prototyping.com/Project-North-Star-Kit|title=Project North Star Kit A|website=Smart Prototyping|accessdate=June 26, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="gfxspeak">{{cite web|url=https://gfxspeak.com/2018/05/24/ar-hmd-update/|title=AR HMD update|author=Jon Peddie|date=May 24, 2018|website=GfxSpeak|accessdate=June 26, 2025}}</ref>