Leap Motion Controller went live on Monday July 22 2013 - How a Theremin Computer Device revives PC sales as Everything is Possible to be controlled by Voice and Motion

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 22^nd 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”.