Portable USB motion sensor brings hands-free gesture control to laptops

Leap Motion is a small motion-sensing device that can plug into any computer's USB slot.

Surgeons in Brazil are already using the Microsoft Kinect to improve their productivity through gesture control with the Intera project, so could the same go for consumers? Aiming to provide the possibility, Leap Motion is a small motion-sensing device that can plug into any computer’s USB slot.

At just three inches long and 0.5 inches high, the sensor features two cameras and three infrared LED emitters that enable the device to detect motion in eight cubic feet around it, to an accuracy of up to 1/100th of a millimeter. Once plugged in, the Leap Motion is powered through the USB port and users move their hands directly above it to control their computer. The device uses apps to recognize programmed gestures, which include swiping and pinching for web browsing, drawing and painting with a finger or pen, sculpting and molding for 3D modelling and even custom gestures for games. The video below offers some examples of how the device could be used:

The Leap Motion retails for USD 79.99 and users can download apps from the company’s own Airspace Store, which has already seen one million downloads in the three weeks since its launch at the end of July. Could this technology offer more creative control of the devices we use, seeing the traditional mouse become redundant?

Spotted by: Raymond Neo