MTC-HandTracker 1.0.0

A professional, modular hand tracking library for robotics.

🖐️ HandTracker API

The Professional Hand Tracking Engine for Robotics

Stabilized. Normalized. Thread-Safe.
The "Batteries Included" computer vision layer for your robot arm.

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Overview

The HandTrackingModule wraps Google MediaPipe into a robust tool designed specifically for control loops. It solves the hard computer vision problems so you can focus on logic.

Feature	Description
Smoothing	Built-in jitter reduction filters (EMA) prevent robot motors from shaking.
Normalization	Maps coordinates to your specific workspace (0.0 - 1.0), not the full webcam view.
Asynchronous	Heavy inference runs on a background thread to keep your main loop fast.
Data-Driven	define gestures in gestures.yaml instead of writing Python code.

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License

Copyright © 2025 by Majd Aburas for McMaster Technology Club

This software is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0).

What this means:

• Open Source: You can use, modify, and distribute this software.
• Viral: If you use this library in your application (even over a network), you must open-source your entire application under AGPL-3.0.
• Closed Source / Commercial: You cannot use this in a closed-source or proprietary commercial product without releasing your own source code.

For a proprietary commercial license, please contact Majd Aburas or the McMaster Technology Club.

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Installation

Install directly from GitHub. This ensures you get the latest features and the full asset library.

pip install git+https://github.com/BTech-Robotics-Club/Hand-Tracking.git

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Quick Start

Copy this code into app.py. It opens the camera and prints 6 real-time metrics.

import cv2
from hand_tracker import HandTrackingModule

# 1. Initialize (High smoothing for robots)
tracker = HandTrackingModule(smoothing_factor=0.6)

# 2. Open Camera
cap = cv2.VideoCapture(0)

while True:
    ret, frame = cap.read()
    if not ret: break
    
    # Flip for mirror view
    frame = cv2.flip(frame, 1)

    # 3. Process Frame (Returns a Tuple of 6)
    img, gesture, points, ratios, pinch, hands = tracker.process_frame(frame)

    # 4. Use Data
    if gesture == "PINCH":
        print(f"Pinching! Distance: {pinch:.2f}")
    
    # Draw
    cv2.putText(img, f"Gesture: {gesture}", (10, 50), 
                cv2.FONT_HERSHEY_SIMPLEX, 1, (0, 255, 0), 2)
    cv2.imshow("Hand Tracker", img)
    
    if cv2.waitKey(1) == ord('q'): break

tracker.close()
cap.release()
cv2.destroyAllWindows()

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API Reference

HandTrackingModule(...)

The main controller class.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
smoothing_factor	float	0.5	Blend factor. 0.1 is slow/smooth. 0.9 is fast/jittery.
min_detection_confidence	float	0.5	AI confidence threshold. Increase if seeing ghosts.
gestures_file	str	None	Path to custom YAML file for overrides.

process_frame(image) -> tuple

Returns a tuple of 6 values describing the current frame.

#	Name	Type	Description
0	annotated_image	numpy	Debug image with skeletons drawn.
1	gesture	str	Name of the gesture (e.g. "FIST").
2	norm_points	list	(x,y) coordinates mapped to calibration zone.
3	ratios	list	Finger straightness (0.0 curled - 1.0 straight).
4	pinch_metric	float	Thumb-Index distance. < 0.25 is touching.
5	handedness	list	List of hands seen: ["Right", "Left"].

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Configuration

You don't need to write Python to make new gestures. The library uses YAML configuration files.

Pro Tip: Run HandTrackingModule.create_default_configs() in your python script once. It will generate these files in your folder so you can edit them!

1. gestures.yaml (Example)

Define what a hand shape looks like.

VULCAN_SALUTE:
  # Finger State: [Thumb, Index, Middle, Ring, Pinky]
  # 1 = UP, 0 = DOWN
  pattern: [1, 1, 0, 0, 1]
  
  # Optional: Require hand to point UP
  direction: "UP"
  direction_finger: "INDEX"

2. calibration.yaml (Example)

Define your robot's "Work Area".

# Only track the center of the desk
# 0.0 is top/left, 1.0 is bottom/right
top_left: [0.2, 0.2]
bottom_right: [0.8, 0.8]

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Built by the McMaster Technology Club

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