The
Leap Motion Controller, made by Leap Motion, a 3D Motion Capture Technology
company, is a viable alternative to Microsoft’s Kinect but built for PC and
Laptops began shipping its 3D Motion Controller device on July 22nd
2013 as stated in the article “Leap
Motion aims to get a running start”, published June 24, 2013 10:00 AM PDT
by Daniel Terdiman, CNET News.
Leap
Motion’s CEO Michael Buckwald sees this technology replacing the Mouse in much
the same way I’ve predicted that Capacitive Touch Screen devices such as Tablet
and smartphones heralded its death as stated in my Geezam blog article entitled “How
the Apple iPad killed Ultrabooks, Printing and the Mouse as the World
Rediscovers Tablets”.
But depending on who you talk to, some say it’s the Mouse Killer and some say it’s a little too ahead of its time as opined in the article “Leap Motion: Huge Disappointment Or Simply Ahead Of Its Time?”, published 7/26/2013 @ 6:07PM by Matthew Butter, Forbes Magazine. But it’s my belief that it may mark the Revival of the PC.
This
as it’s in the same league as the Microsoft Kinect and may end up finding uses
in the same fields, such as in Medicine for surgeons to do operations or
Doctors to be trained on new Surgical procedures as stated in my blog article entitled
“Microsoft
Kinect used to Teach Aneurysm Surgical procedures - A Gross Anatomy Future
controlled by Voice and Gestures”.
But
it has all the newness and uncertainty of a similar device from Indiegogo
crowdfunded startup Interaxion named the Muse Mind Controller as described in my blog article entitled
“Interaxion
debut US$199 Muse Mind Controller at Le Web in France - Future Silver Lining
Playbook for Gaming that'll Exercise the Windmills of Your Mind”.
And
that makes it all the more exciting!
The
Leap Motion Controller certainly has a lot of support for a device that’s
mainly geared at PC, Laptops and some Tablets. Nearly 10,000 Developers signed
up to develop Apps for the Airspace App Store to be used on Windows and Apple
Mac OS PC’s.
AirSpace
is now bubbleing at 100 Apps and the Developers appear to be enticed by the possibility
of accessing some US$25 million in VC (Venture Capital) Funding from Leap’s
financier, Highland Capital Partners as stated in the article “Leap
Fund offers $25 million for Leap Motion developers”, published June 20,
2013 1:06 PM PDT by Daniel Terdiman, CNET News.
Possibly
this device, though innovative and capable of being used on any device that has
a USB Port unlike the Microsoft Kinect that’s restricted to the Xbox as stated
in my blog article entitled “Nintendo Wii vs Microsoft
Kinect - War of the Worlds in Jodine Spark's BattleField”, may be in for a rough time.
The
Leap Motion Controller uses IR (InfraRed) to allow the user to do the same
things as the Mouse or Capacitive Touch Screen can do with millimeter precision
that’ll appeal mainly to Graphic Artist. Like Capacitive Touch Screen PC,
Laptop or Tablet, it faces ergonomic problems related to aches and pains of
having your hand outstretched so long. Not a very comfortable posture to assume
for several hours around you PC, Laptop or Tablet!
I
can’t imagine it being used in smartphones, as already a few smartphones makers
such as Samsung, have their version of 3D Motion Capture technology or Gesture
Control built into their smartphones.
Even Apple has plans for some form of their own integrated 3D Motion
Capture Technology but geared mainly at smartphones.
Asus
has also joined the Leap Motion party in January 2013 as stated in “Leap
Motion Control tech to be bundled with Asus PCs”, published January 3, 2013
5:00 AM PST by Daniel Terdiman, CNET News to
have the device bundled with their PC, Laptops and Tablets. To further their
presence in the market, Leap Motion later cemented deals with HP (Hewlett
Packard) in April 2013 as stated in “Leap
Motion strikes bundling, embedding deal with HP”, published April 16, 2013
7:45 AM PDT by Daniel Terdiman, CNET News.
This
action by Leap motion gives me great hope for Leap Motion’s long term Leap into
the future, pun not really intended, but there it is!
Clearly,
the Leap Motion Controller is geared at PC (Personal Computers), Laptops and
Tablets with the intent to make us look a lot like Tony Stark from Iron Man. Thus
their best bet at success is to make a case for their device reviving the
decline in PC Sales as stated in “PCs
suffer longest sales decline in history”, published 11:50PM BST 10 Jul 2013
by Andrew Trotman, The UK Telegraph
and “The
PC fights back: U.S. sales decline is slowing”, published Jul 15, 2013 3:00
AM by Brad Chacos, PCWorld to the various Computer Manufacturers.
Then
they need to get them to agree to have the Leap Motion Controller embedded into
their PC, Laptops and Tablets, thus securing their market and boosting
Developer support, as they’ll rally towards developing for a platform that
showing signs of renewed growth.
The
biggest prize lies in Wearable Tech, Consumer Household Electronics and Automobiles.
Google Glass isn’t the only game in town as it relates to Wearable computers as
stated in “A LOOK AT
ALL THE GOOGLE GLASS COMPETITORS IN DEVELOPMENT”, published August 22, 2013
By Simon Hill, Digital Trends presenting
an opportunity for Leap Motion to license their technology to enable Air
Gesture base controls on such devices.
Full
Autonomous Cars such as those being tested by Volvo in the EU (European
Project) SARTRE as described in my blog article entitled
“Volvo
Testing Autonomous Motor Vehicles in Spain in Live Traffic - EU Project SARTRE
adds self-driving AI with smartphone Control” could be capable of being
driven by gesture alone.
This
as such a car, most likely an All-Electric Vehicle, would probably use a
smartphone to unlock the doors and control its onboard AI (Artificially
Intelligent). Thus in like manner, the means by which it drives will require no
steering wheel when in automatic mode and only needs Air Gestures from the
driver to control its general direction with the AI doing most of the driving.
Similarly
too, they can also market their tech to makers of Consumer Household
Electronics to enable Gesture based control on devices as diverse as:
1.
Televisions
2.
Refrigerators
3.
Kitchen Appliances
4.
Washing Machines
5.
Home Entertainment Systems
But
even more innovative, Leap Motion can also work with PC Manufacturers and Game
Console Designers to develop a whole line of computers that simply have no
mouse or other form of input other than the Leap Motion Controller. No keyboard
no mouse, just Air Gestures to use their computer, effectively a Theremin
Computer i.e. a computer controlled via Gestures only.
If
Leap Motion does this, then by 2015 they’ll fulfill my prediction of a World
where Everything is Possible and is controlled by
our Voice and Motion as prognosticated in my Geezam blog article entitled “Siri and Kinect: Heralds of a coming world free
of Remote Controls”.
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