Gesture Control

A collaboration between the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has resulted in a mid-air gestural tone and beat controller called the GripBeats.

A number of groups have already developed so-called "electronic skin," which adds electronic functionality to a user's natural skin. A new magnetic take on the technology, however, does away with the need for integrated electronics and power sources.

Tap introduced a wearable back in 2016 that turned taps on a table top into text input on a tablet. The Tap Strap 2 now includes mouse functionality.

​If you're a serious PC gamer, perhaps you get frustrated with trying to control all your onscreen actions via the keyboard and mouse. Well, that's why a California-based team of entrepreneurs created Tilted. It gets your head in on the act.

Cemtrex might not be well known in the world of office kit, but that hasn't stopped it launching what it regards as "the most advanced workstation on the market." And with everything it's shoehorned in – including a gesture control system dubbed the "Stark Gesture System" – it may well be.

​As more drones crowd into the airspace, we’re going to need measures to keep them from crashing into each other. Researchers are teaching drones a few simple rules to help them avoid collisions on their own.

​​When it comes to remote-control cars, not everyone "takes" to traditional joystick or trigger-style remotes. If you're one of those people, then you might be interested in the Ultigesture Gesture-Controlled Smart Car.

Voice control is one option for one-handed smartwatch usage, but researchers from Dartmouth University are developing another. Their WristWhirl prototype can be controlled by making joystick motions with the hand of the arm that's wearing it. ​

Almost every object you encounter has been designed to work with the human hand, so it's no wonder so much research is conducted into hand tracking for computer interfaces. Now Microsoft has outlined its projects that deal with hand tracking, haptic feedback and gesture input.

Using your fingers on a smartphone's screen can be hard enough, with the smaller screen of a smartwatch being even more of a challenge. It was with this in mind that scientists created FingerIO, which turns such devices into sonar systems that are capable of tracking the user's finger movements.​

As well as displaying its BUDD-e concept at CES, Volkswagen has unveiled a new version of its e-Golf electric compact. VW says the e-Golf Touch is one of the world's first compact cars with gesture control. It also offers wireless charging, electronic voice amplification and personalization options.

Offering a glimpse into the future of VR input devices, one alumni of Oculus' research division has developed an electromagnetic sensor system that tracks precise fingertip movements in real time.