Forget remote controls. Forget mice. Those are out. The recently ended Consumer Electronics show in Vegas made one thing clear: the new remote is the hand. Yes, that is the human hand.
Your Hand is the New Remote Control
The new technology was on display in private sessions during CES. It follows in the footsteps of touch screen technology, but does it one step better. Moreover, where past attempts at manipulating wireless sensor technology proved not so usable, the latest efforts seem to be making great strides.
What does this mean for technology as it stands? For one, with the ability to use the hand as a remote, users can, for instance, change the channel with a simple flick of the wrist. Think of it as playing the Wii, but without the controlllers. Or turn on the TV with a quick punch in the air. It’s that easy.
So how does it work? The patented gesture recognition technology begins with the equipment. The key here is a TV and a gesture-sensing camera that relies on newly developed 3-D technology. Stand in front of the camera and the magic begins. Thanks to recent innovations in chip size, more consumer friendly products are available.
Several companies including Microsoft, Sunnyvale, CA based Canesta, PrimeSense out of Israel, and GestureTek, located in the Silicon Valley and Ottawa are bringing the hand revolution forward. Later this year, Microsoft will unveil its new gaming system called Natal. Natal will rely entirely upon the human body and its movement and translate that into on-screen action. Other devices will follow. Expect to see PC’s, laptops, and TV’s with built-in motion sensing cameras come out soon.
Nothing is perfect, however. With gesture-sensing technology, the same holds true. Differentiating a flick from a punch or a wave isn’t yet a perfect science. Some kinks do need to be worked out. Either way, things just got a lot easier for everyone. No longer do you have to worry about taking the TV out with the game controller.
Written by Lani Shadduck
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