Microsoft has already released an update to its Kinect for Windows SDK that supports Windows 8. Now there's word that a third party company, Elliptic Labs, has created its own motion gesture tools for the new OS that allow users to activate the touch screen commands without actually touching a screen.
The Oslo, Norway-based Elliptic Labs calls its new tools the Windows 8 Gesture Suite. As you can see from the above demo video, the software allows a Windows 8 owner to use the same touch commands for the OS with hand gestures that are completed over the screen or even away from it.
So how does this actually work? Unlike Kinect, which uses a camera, the hardware used by Elliptic Labs uses ultrasound transducers that are placed into a laptop or desktop. The company claims, "Ultrasonic touchless technology uses up to 95% less power than current camera image-based gestural systems, making it an attractive option for device manufactures around the world."
So when will we seen this kind of software and hardware appear in Windows 8-based PC?. News.com reports that Elliptic Labs is talking with PC makers and hopes to put its ultrasound technology, and its Windows 8 motion gesture tools, inside new PCs by the end of 2013.
Source: Elliptic Labs
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