By Stephanie Ou
Beginning in mid-May, PC users will be able to purchase Leap Motion’s 3-D motion controllers for Hewlett-Packard products at Best Buy, on Amazon.com, and Leap’s website for $79.99. HP and Leap Motion have teamed up and collaborated to create a 3-D motion control device that will enable users to maneuver their PCs without having to touch the screen at all. The small 3x1 inch motion-sensor device will be placed between the PC and the keyboard and will then capture and translate the user’s finger and hand’s pointing and swiping motions to the computer screen.
The first set of Leap Motion’s 3-D control devices will be bundled with HP’s PC products, but eventually the two companies plan to integrate and embed the motion controllers with other HP products. These bundled products will have Airspace, Leap Motion’s apps store, already installed on the devices with games, health and fitness, and other apps for users. With PCs declining sales due to smartphone and tablet products, the companies hope that the Leap Motion’s 3-D devices will reignite PC interest and boost sales among users. In January, Asus also announced that it would be bundling Leap Motion 3-D controllers with their PCs. Additionally, Leap Motion has given vague answers on whether it plans to collaborate with Apple. Along with possibilities of teaming up with other companies, Chief Operating Officer for Leap Motion, Andy Miller, stated that he hopes to “embed our tech into watches, and smartphones, and glasses, and everything,” so someday in the future, everyone’s Androids and iPhones may no longer be touchscreen but will be touch free and motion-censored.
With tablets and touchscreen devices dominating the market right now, the touch-free idea of Leap Motion’s 3-D controller bundled, and eventually embedded, with HP products could be exactly what the PC world needs to increase sales. Soon enough the interest in touchscreen products could transition to touch free devices. Using touch free devices makes usability even easier and can even eliminate all the fingerprints that pervade touchscreen products like smartphones and tablets. If the Leap Motion controller is successful when it officially hits the stores in May, it would be interesting to see where the company takes its touch free concept next. Think about how convenient it would be if your TV was touch free and you did not need a remote controller. With the simple wave of your hand, you could flip through channels and change the volume.
Demo Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d6KuiuteIA#action=share Sources:http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/leap-motion-hp-integrate-controllers-pc-18968839#.UW2oa7XCaSohttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/leap-motion-teams-up-with-hp-to-bundle-and-embed-3d-motion-tech-in-products/2013/04/15/5e0fd190-a614-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_blog.htmlhttp://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2417825,00.asp