Created by Norwegian startup Elliptic Labs, the
technology, which makes using a smartphone or a tablet like playing a video game
via Microsoft's Kinect motion sensing system, is being showcased at this year's
Ceatec in Japan.
Although it is only in its proof-of-concept stage, it
is capable of responding to one millimeter movements and can recognize hand
gestures across 180° and at a distance of up to 50cm from the screen. But
what's most exciting is that Elliptic Labs claims it has already formed
partnerships with a number of Asian handset manufacturers who are looking at
building the company's ultrasound chip into phones and tablets that could come
to market as early as next year.
There is little doubt that gesture is going to be one
of the key computing interfaces of the future and that along with voice
recognition will probably replace the keyboard, mouse and maybe even the touch
screen. Look at the attention and headlines that companies such as Leap Motion
and Thalmic Labs are generating with their motion-sensing technologies and the
way that Microsoft brought a new dimension to gaming when it launched the first
Xbox Kinect controller.
What makes Elliptic Labs' technology so interesting is
that it uses ultrasound, rather than infra-red sensors (like the Kinect) or
cameras (like both the Kinect and Leap Motion), and therefore is much simpler
and cheaper to build into consumer electronics devices and has none of the
other technologies' drawbacks.
For instance, infra-red sensors become completely
overwhelmed when used outdoors, in sunlight, while cameras put strain on
batteries and have a limited focal range meaning that in order to recognize an
air gesture in space, several cameras mounted at different positions would be
needed to measure both position and depth.
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