Gesture Control for Devices
Tired of constantly pressing the wrong buttons on a too-sensitive, tiny touch screen? Researchers at the Ishikawa Komuro Laboratory at the University of Tokyo have created a camera system that attaches to a mobile device to let it track mid-air finger movements and translate those movements into commands.
The camera recognizes if the finger is moving toward it and away from it and at what speed. This lets a user move a mouse, zoom and scroll pictures, digitally draw and type, without ever touching the screen.
Phones that recognize gestures could help users avoid fumbling around on touch screens, or alleviate the physical caused by from typing. Microsoft’s Project Natal will use a similar, full-body motion-tracking interface for gaming.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook?
Robot vacuum companies say your images are safe, but a sprawling global supply chain for data from our devices creates risk.
A startup says it’s begun releasing particles into the atmosphere, in an effort to tweak the climate
Make Sunsets is already attempting to earn revenue for geoengineering, a move likely to provoke widespread criticism.
10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023
These exclusive satellite images show that Saudi Arabia’s sci-fi megacity is well underway
Weirdly, any recent work on The Line doesn’t show up on Google Maps. But we got the images anyway.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.