A decade ago, audiences were wowed by Tom Cruise's gesture-based computer navigation as they were filmed in the 2002 movie Minority Report. However, now tech world has taken hold of the touch-less technology on home desktops and laptops and have come with innovative sensors triggered in Xbox Kinect and Nintendo Wii.
But this time a new thumb-sized drive has been unveiled by a motion control company and it is getting rave reviews by numerous industry experts. Additionally, it has been claimed to be more accurate than Kinect or any other device. The talk is about San Francisco-based startup called Leap Motion which recently launched its Leap 3D motion control system, giving users the ability to control what is on their computer devices with hundredth of millimeter accuracy.
In a video demo given to CNET, Leap’s officials flaunted the device’s spectacular functionality, boasting of its OS navigation and web browsing, using a single finger to write, pinch-to-zoom, precision drawing, 3D modeling, and gaming. From what we can see, it looks to be a very precise system, capable of recognizing objects in your hands and tracking them instead of your digits. Leap Motion is releasing an SDK and also handing out free sensors to “qualified developers” that want to develop for the system.
Further, Leap Motion has started taking preorders for the device at an affordable price tag of $70. The company plans to ship the PC- and Mac-compatible device in December. The device comprises a small USB input device and a sophisticated software platform. And, has also introduced a developers release to get users interested.
Leap features include:
- Navigating an operating system or browsing Web pages
- Finger-pinching to zoom
- Interacting with a 3D model
- Precision drawing in two- or three-dimensions
- Manipulating 3D data visualizations
- Playing games
- Signing digital documents by writing in air
Leap aims to create a 3D workspace of 4 cubic feet. Its technology can identify a person’s hands well enough to use this recognition as authorization to use a device. Meanwhile, Leap Motion has announced $12.75 million in Series A funding led by Andy Miller of Highland Capital Partners earlier this month. On the compatibility front, Leap would well tune with either Windows or Mac OS X, and would be available for (US-only) pre-order from the company's website.
Here is an official video flaunting the Leap's capabilities beneath, and you can also head over to look below on the video and compare, how the technology is similar to interface adopted in the movie Minority Report.
Introducing the Leap
Minority Report UI Innovation analysis
