Motion-sensing technology advances
Published: May 18, 2008In the movie “Minority Report,” Tom Cruise’s character manipulates virtual documents and zooms through images with a flurry of hand gestures and motions. The movie is set in 2054.
But a number of companies already are creating products that mimic that experience, enabling people to interact with monitors and computers using a wave of their hand or a shift in their body position. Think of it as the next step after the Nintendo Wii - only you are the Wii controller.
The trend was on full display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the focus has shifted to more natural interfaces for computing and entertainment experiences. Gesture-based controls take the idea to the next step, beyond voice activation, touch screens and motion-sensing via Wii controllers.
Local companies like Reactrix Systems and GestureTek, along with Israeli company 3DV Systems are working on camera systems that take in 3-D images and translate them into actions. But it’s not just sophisticated camera setups: Sony Ericsson is putting out a phone, the Z555, that silences calls and alarms with a wave of your hand over the handset.
“When you think about user interface, people tend to want to revert to what is natural, intuitive and instinctive,” said Michael Ribero, chief executive officer of Reactrix Systems in Redwood City. “The more natural the interface, the broader the adoption and the more successful the experience.”
Reactrix plans to introduce a system in March called WAVEscape, which will serve as a gesture-activated advertising and information screen in malls, retail stores and hotels. The company has signed a deal with Hilton Hotel and Resorts to install 115 systems by this summer.
The Reactrix system uses two sets of dual cameras that capture images in stereo, much like our eyes do. The cameras, equipped with infrared light, are able to measure depth and translate that into screen actions using sophisticated software algorithms.
