Leap Motion

[ShaolinDreams]

Hi chaps,

Have anyone of you guys heard about the 'Leap Motion' motion controller? I heard about it recently and i thought i would share with people that are unaware of said device.

It's a very small device that you put under your computer screen, using 2 infra-red cameras and some sorcery it can plot your hand perfectly on the screen.

https://www.leapmotion.com/

From the demos of the prototypes it looked like it just worked as they said. It also works on Macs and Windows, If it works with Windows 8 flawlessly i see it being a major success and that's not to mention all the other possibilities a new input device like this could offer. No need for expensive touchscreens

At around $80 i'm definitely interested in such an inventive device. It's out in May but you can pre-order now. I think it's worth holding out till launch but if it's as got as they say im sure they won't be able to make them fast enough

Only concern it how far will it integrate with existing software or will be just be limited to it's own app store, even if that's the case it won't be long till someones hacked it anyway

What do you guys think about this new motion controller?

 

[ShaolinDreams]

I have seen this (Back when the original funding was being asked for). It's a neat little idea and does seem to do everything really well - Good price too.

The problem I find with these motion controllers is the amount of time you'd need to hold your arms up for. Have you ever tried to hold your arms out straight for anymore than 10mins? It hurts - And I'm not exactly unfit.

I can't really see any practical use but it's certainly a nice gimmick to show people. To me there is a good reason the keyboard and mouse have stuck around for so long.

I dont think it would be your sole input device as you say who wants to hold their arms up all the time, but using it in conjunction with your mouse is where i see it. The main features i would use it for would be Google Earth (if possible) Art and simple Windows 8 navigation at $80 i'll have some of that. It would be a gimmick if their aren't practical applications for it, but just the Art side alone could open up loads of new creative possibilities.

 

[ShaolinDreams]

And nothing close to the price of a good graphics tablet. I'm not trying to say it will take over the mouse but work in addition to it. Just an example you could swipe shortcuts with your left hand while controlling the mouse with your right.. so no need to move mouse away from work area. He mention its 10 point 3D input something you cant do with a mouse, So for modelling it could be fantastic, sculpting with your hands rather than a mouse or pen would be much more productive.

I'm new to all this myself so if i can come up with some ideas image what could be the possibilities once the inventive people around the world get their hands on it.

Whether it's a massive hit or not you can't deny there is a lot of potential there.

If i was Microsoft i would be jumping all over this especially after they complaining that manufacturers werent releasing enough touchscreen monitors to coincide with the launch of Windows 8.

 

[ShaolinDreams]

I think you are being a bit cynical here. It's not replacing anything it's a new way to interact with your computer without physically touching anything. It appears to works very well, it's pretty affordable and is compatible with Windows 7 or 8 or Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion so i dont see it falling flat on its face unless no one adopts it, something we'll have to wait and see.