Leap Motion – the Future Remains a Work in Progress

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ARS Technica has a hands-on look at using the Leap Motion Controller. If you aren’t familiar with this device, which just began shipping this week, it is a small box that connects to your Mac and allows your hands to act as input devices for your computer. Now in and of itself, that isn’t so interesting. After all, it is your hands on a mouse or trackpad that currently allow you to input and control your computer. The difference here is that the Leap Motion Controller allows you to simply wave your hands in front of the screen and control what happens ON the screen. All this happens thanks to a nifty little aluminum box that sits in front of the computer and tracks the motions of your hands using infrared sensors. Think Minority Report, but using the computer you currently own and for just $79.

The Leap Motion Controller looks amazing, and I actually pre-ordered one. I had no doubt it was one of those tech purchases that would be fun for a brief while but eventually make its way into someone else’s hands or as a giveaway here on the site. Still, it LOOKED like the future of computing, and I wanted in on it.

Then I heard from a friend that his Leap Motion Controller had been delivered while we were traveling together this past week. I had heard nothing about my unit and was, admittedly, a bit jealous. Turns out the credit card I had used for the pre-order had expired, and I needed to update my records. After seeing ARS Technica’s demo video of the device I’m not so disappointed, and I have no intention of correcting the card information. Sure the $79 is a small price to pay for the future of technology, but despite early excitement using the device (“Look, I have robot hands…”), as the video concludes… maybe the future still needs a little (or more than a little) work.

Check the video out at Ars Technica

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.

2 Comments on "Leap Motion – the Future Remains a Work in Progress"

  1. technabob | July 28, 2013 at 6:16 pm |

    My Leap is working as well as I expected. I wouldn’t try and use it as standard navigation, but it works great for games and interactive experiences. It’s definitely not the same as using a touchscreen, and Google Earth behaved just as weirdly for me as well.

    However, Cut the Rope worked well, and Dropchord was pretty perfect. That said, I think that this is not a replacement for a mouse. It’s designed for interactive control, and not for serious work.

    • Paul, Would you consider this a finished mainstream product, proof of concept for enthusiasts or a beta and a look at the future?

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