Some of the best advice I ever received was from a friend who said the gaming industry is the place to discover what’s next in the digital engagement space. When he told me this, we were discussing how Xbox’s Kinect will lead the way, taking consumer and technology interaction to Avatar-like levels.
Well, today, Leap Motion has unveiled its eagerly-anticipated first product offering: It’s called the Leap, it’s the size of a thumb drive, and for just $70, it will enable you to completely control your computer by waving your hands around like Tom Cruise in Minority Report.
Unlike the Xbox Kinect and Nintendo Wii sensors bars that perch atop your screens, the Leap plugs into your USB port and loads gesture control software onto your device; after calibrating the system, the Leap tracks your every movement, recreating those movements on screen. A simple thumb drive, the Leap sensor is much smaller than the Kinect bar. It is also 200 times more accurate and able to follow your movements to the 1/100th of a millimeter, according to Leap Motion’s website.
I gotta say, this is pretty awesome and once again, makes me glad to be alive in this amazing technological time.
Goodbye carpal tunnel! I think health insurance should cover this product, lol. 😉
Seriously though, it’s quite impressive and will likely have a spot on many holiday gift lists.
Goodbye carpal tunnel indeed! I know many CGI artists who really need this! And, you are right – especially at that price point – this will be THE holiday gift. Thanks for reading!
Fantastic. Is the video clip showing games and software written to be Leap Motion compatible? Or are they actual, regular games and software products that can be fully manipulated by the Leap Motion device?