Awesome Gesture

Typically, when you want to input text into a computer, you need a keyboard or dictation software. But Fletcher over at Everything Is Hacked wanted to type without using his hands or making a sound, so he got to coding an application that can interpret facial gestures and convert them into keypresses.

This wearable accessory adds new degrees of expression to musical performances. The Wave ring has motion sensors that influence sounds using gestures: tilt, pan, roll, vibrato, tap, and click. The included software lets you tweak every aspect, save presets, and even has a built-in sound engine. Works with all major DAWs.

While we’re not too sure of the practical uses for this technology from Disney Research, there’s no question that the idea that entire walls can become capacitive input devices for about $20 per square meter is really intriguing. What would you do with this tech?

The BIRD is a fingertip wearable device which can send motion control data to a Windows PC. It allows users to manipulate objects on screen by simply moving their finger and making gestures in mid-air, and is ideally suited for interacting with projected images.

Formerly known as Haptix, Ractiv’s Touch+ is a multitouch controller. Like the Leap Motion, it lets you use multitouch gestures over any surface, including the area above your keyboard. It can also be used for depth mapping.

A set of sensors that provide 1:1 mapping of your chest, arms, hands and fingers. It can be used for gaming, interacting with virtual reality software, motion capture, using gestures to control software and hardware and more.

One ring to rule all of your devices. Nod is a wearable Bluetooth gesture sensing device. It lets you control desktop computers, mobile devices and even smart appliances. It’s also waterproof and lasts up to a day per charge.

A bracelet that’s meant to hold passwords and other personal info. It uses your heart’s activity as authentication and it can interact with a variety of devices using gestures or Bluetooth to personalize and secure them. More here.

Haptix uses two cameras to turn any flat surface into a multitouch interface. Control your TV with your table, use real pen and paper to draw, or ditch your mouse and use the surface of your keyboard to interact with your PC.

AirBeats is a virtual drum machine designed to work with the Leap gesture controller. It lets you make and record beats just by tapping on air. You can use your hands or any stick – drumsticks, chopsticks, pencils etc.

Leap Motion demonstrates how its much-awaited gesture controller can be used to interact with Windows 8. The tiny sensor lets you use multi-touch gestures in mid-air. We want to control our TVs this way.

Instead of using cameras, the Myo armband reads the electrical activity in your muscles to detect hand and arm gestures, resulting in a portable and discreet controller for computers and other devices.

Leap Motion’s gesture control system can detect minute finger movements – producing a much greater level of detail than Kinect – though it is designed only for hand gestures. More here.

Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s Magic Mouse, with support for gestures under Windows 7 (only). We’ve tried it and, dare we say it, like it better than Apple’s, thanks to its superior ergonomics.