[video=youtube;_d6KuiuteIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_d6KuiuteIA[/video]
If you happened to have seen the Tom Cruise Sci-Fi flick Minority Report (or the more recent Marvel Studios' Iron Man and Avengers movies), you might have been impressed by Hollywood's take on the future of motion-based computer controls. Of course, after seeing these movies, you might easily have dismissed it as a neat gimmick that we are unlikely to see for a decade or more. Proponents of the technology might point out that the Kinect on the XBOX is a pretty impressive piece of technology along those lines. While that is undoubtedly true, it still pales in comparison to the level of control expressed in these movies.
Surely we are still a long way from that level of control, right? Not really. In fact, we are far closer than many of us might have guessed. In May of this year, a company called Leap Motion will be debuting their new technological marvel called the Leap Motion Controller and it comes surprisingly close to that fictional control scheme in Minority Report. Not only that, it is also very affordable at just $79.99. The device will actually ship on May 13th to Best Buy stores, and will be compatibile with Windows 7 & 8, as well as Mac OS X 10.7 and 10.8. It will be supported on Linux at a later date.
While the actions aren't 100% like they are in Minority Report, and are still quite a ways from the interactive holograms in the Marvel movies, this device is nevertheless a massive step toward those eventualities. Simply check out the demo video above and see for yourself. Also, if you want to pre-order yours, here's a link below.
Source: Leap Motion
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