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Computers

Leap Motion sensor offers 3D gesture control at an affordable price

May 23, 2012
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The Leap sensor is small, but accurate enough to process 3D gesturing
The Leap sensor is small, but accurate enough to process 3D gesturing

Leap is now taking pre-orders for its Leap Motion sensor, a USB accessory that enables full control of your PC or Mac using simple hand and finger gestures. The company claims that its product is the most accurate gesture sensor available, and it costs only US$70.

As you can see, the Leap sensor is quite small, making it portable enough to throw into a laptop bag when traveling. Despite its small size, Leap claims that its device is 200 times more accurate than competitors such as Kinect for Windows. This raises a few questions, as Leap has not specified what technology powers its sensor. However, the company has stated that its device uses tech unlike anything else available.

Leap believes its sensor has an infinite number of uses. For starters there's basic PC navigation, controlling an operating system with your hands and fingers, and never touching a mouse or keyboard. There's also the potential for Leap to make a splash with PC gaming – thanks to the Leap API, developers can integrate Leap Motion controls in their games as they build them.

Strengthening the appeal of the Leap Motion sensor is its price, at $70. Thanks to the low entry cost, Leap has the potential to catch fire if the actual product lives up to the hype that its demo video has created. Leap is currently recruiting thousands of developers to ensure that its sensor will have plenty of applications available on launch day – which is anticipated to be in December of 2012 or January of 2013.

Source: Leap via Extreme Tech

Leap's video demo shows some serious potential.

Tags

ComputersGamesGesture ControlMotion sensorLeap Motion
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10 comments
Derek Howe
70 bucks! If it works as fluidly as the video suggests, I'd pick one up.
Denis Klanac
Derek Howe, same here. looks great.
christopher
I have the fortune to be flatting with one of the guys on this team - dunno how much of this is confidential, but it apparently uses infra-red for it's sensors, and is so accurate that it can even detect your pulse (they've got an app that does that even). They've also got a "security" app - it's able to uniquely recognize your hands, in order to unlock your PC. I've been listening about the hype that's been coming in - it's quite amusing - loads of people don't believe it really exists, or don't believe it works, or think the demo videos are fake. Their engineers are cracking up reading that stuff. Dev units go out to selected hackers in about 2 weeks. And, nyer nyer, that includes one for me :-)
Matt Fletcher
They can't come out with this soon enough. I'll buy 1 and 2-3 more for myself at that price if it works.
Joshua Fausset
what is the range of the sensor? It looked to be planar, in that you must stand within a certain proximaty to the length edge for it to work. How far will it sense accurately from the face of the device? Do they plan to release the networking capabilities on initial release? My aim is to sense a volume of space, a living room for instance. Thanks.
Equilibrium
Think God this was not patented by apple otherwise we would be paying $ 70 for the tech+$230 for the logo. Now all we need is that holographic projection, and we'll be on our way to want the next unobtainable tech.
Harpal Sahota
Gosh! - Minority Report has been delivered. This will be massive for the Medical Industry, not only in the training but also the robotic physical operations that are done presently with limited accuracy.
The market for this device is huge, and would transform everything, from browsing menus, homes, technical assembly / training, etc. Imagine, if one can pinch and zoom the air - WOW!!!
Harpal Sahota.
Maxx Reverie
I will be buying several of these as well, one for my crippled mother! WONDERFUL!
Alvin Clayton
how about a holographic projection of a keyboard with this sensor aligned to it. The end of physical keyboard. keyboards of any shape size or language. Imagine a 4thousand character Chinese keyboard! in Mandarin and Cantonese. Would take some computer power to translate though.
Prabhakar Harita
Amazing tech. First congratulation on creating such a genuine product with easy of use. Thanks god for not being APPLE or MICROSOFT product. Don't give into the dark side. I have already ordered one to demo at work. I think this will bring the PC industry to 21st century, honestly it is pretty boring to sit in front of PC. Now I Can walk around and not be stuck to chair.
Now that you have mastered art of manipulating 3D space, can you make a device that projects what's in a Smartphone in a 3D space (say 2x2 or 3x3 cube) and let the hands control that actions along with Voice commands. Think about that in a Medical office or teachers or kids playing games and building toys. Especially for the up and coming private drone industry.
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