Manus Gloves#

A Linux-only plugin for integrating Manus gloves into the Isaac Teleop framework. It provides full hand-joint tracking via the Manus SDK and injects the resulting poses into the OpenXR hand-tracking layer so any downstream retargeter can consume them transparently.

Components#

Core library (manus_plugin_core) — wraps the Manus SDK (libIsaacTeleopPluginsManus.so) and exposes per-joint tracking data.
Plugin executable (manus_hand_plugin) — the main plugin binary that integrates with the Teleop system via CloudXR / OpenXR.
CLI tool (manus_hand_tracker_printer) — a standalone diagnostic tool that prints tracked joint data to the terminal and opens a real-time MANUS Data Visualizer window showing the hand skeleton from two orthographic views per hand.

Prerequisites#

Linux — x86_64 (tested on Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04).
Manus SDK for Linux — downloaded automatically by the install script.
System dependencies — the install script installs required packages automatically.

Installation#

Automated (recommended)#

The install script handles SDK download, dependency installation, and building:

cd src/plugins/manus
./install_manus.sh

The script will:

Install the required system packages for MANUS Core Integrated.
Download MANUS SDK v3.1.1.
Extract and place the SDK in the correct location.
Build the plugin and the diagnostic tool

Manual#

If you prefer to install manually:

Download the MANUS Core SDK from MANUS Downloads.
Extract and place the ManusSDK folder inside src/plugins/manus/, or point CMake at a different path by setting MANUS_SDK_ROOT.
Follow the MANUS Getting Started guide for Linux to install the dependencies and configure device permissions.

Expected directory layout after placing the SDK:

src/plugins/manus/
  app/
    main.cpp
  core/
    manus_hand_tracking_plugin.cpp
  inc/
    core/
      manus_hand_tracking_plugin.hpp
  tools/
    manus_hand_tracker_printer.cpp
  ManusSDK/        <-- placed here
    include/
    lib/

Then build from the root:

cd ../../..  # navigate to root
cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build --target manus_hand_plugin manus_hand_tracker_printer -j
cmake --install build --component manus

Running the Plugin#

1. Set up the CloudXR environment#

Source the CloudXR environment and start the runtime before running the plugin:

export NV_CXR_RUNTIME_DIR=~/.cloudxr/run
export XR_RUNTIME_JSON=~/.cloudxr/openxr_cloudxr.json

2. Verify with the CLI tool#

Verify that the gloves are working using the CLI tool:

./build/bin/manus_hand_tracker_printer

The tool prints joint positions to the terminal and opens a MANUS Data Visualizer window showing a top-down and side view of each hand.

3. Run the plugin#

The plugin is installed to the install directory, please ensure the CLI tool is not running when running the plugin.

./install/plugins/manus/manus_hand_plugin

Wrist Positioning — Controllers vs Optical Hand Tracking#

Two sources are available for positioning the Manus gloves in 3D space:

Controller adapters — attach Quest 3 controllers to the Manus Universal Mount on the back of the glove. The controller pose drives wrist placement.
Optical hand tracking — use the HMD’s built-in optical hand tracking to position the hands. No physical controller adapter required.

The plugin selects the source automatically at runtime: optical hand tracking is preferred when XR_MNDX_xdev_space is supported and the runtime reports an actively tracked wrist pose; otherwise it falls back to the controller pose.

Note

When using controller adapters it is advisable to disable the HMD’s automatic hand-tracking–to–controller switching to avoid unexpected source changes mid-session.

Troubleshooting#

Symptom	Resolution
SDK download fails	Check your internet connection and re-run the install script.
Manus SDK not found at build time	With manual installation, ensure `ManusSDK` is inside `src/plugins/manus/` or set `MANUS_SDK_ROOT` to your installation path.
Manus SDK not found at runtime	The build configures RPATH automatically. If you moved the SDK after building, set `LD_LIBRARY_PATH` to its `lib/` directory.
No data received	Ensure Manus Core is running and the gloves are connected and calibrated.
CloudXR runtime errors	Make sure `scripts/setup_cloudxr_env.sh` has been sourced before running.
Permission denied for USB devices	The install script configures udev rules. If the rules were not reloaded, run: sudo udevadm control --reload-rules sudo udevadm trigger Then reconnect your Manus devices.

License#

Source files are covered by their stated licenses (Apache-2.0). The Manus SDK is proprietary to Manus and is subject to its own license; it is not redistributed by this project.