Remember how cool Tom Cruise was in “Minority Report” when he was manipulating computer data on a life-sized clear screen with his bare hands? Well, we may be approaching a similar plane of awesomeness once we adopt The Leap, which is itching to replace and outshine the good ol’ reliable but tired computer mouse.
Big strides have been taken to make virtual reality more of a reality. Today we’re enjoying gadgets that have us believing that we’ve crossed over to the flipside. Video game consoles such as the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 + Kinect, and touchscreen tablets, smartphones, 3D televisions and movies have been eagerly embraced not only by geeks but by the general public. But they have us wanting more. Now Leap Motion is taking huge “leaps” towards virtual reality by offering an entirely new and more intuitive way to interact with our computers.
What exactly is The Leap?
The Leap is a small iPod sized USB peripheral that creates a 3D interaction space of 8 cubic feet to precisely interact with and control software on your laptop or desktop computer. It’s like being able to reach into the computer and pull out information as easily as reaching into a cookie jar.The Leap senses your individual hand and finger movements independently, as well as items like a pen. In fact, it’s 200x more sensitive than existing touch-free products and technologies. It’s the difference between sensing an arm swiping through the air and being able to create a precise digital signature with a fingertip or pen.
Imagine what sort of Pandora’s box The Leap is opening up for those who work with and rely on 3D imaging; i.e. graphic artists, game developers, architects, scientists, doctors, engineers. The Leap could be one of the shiniest tools we have in our toolbox thus far.
And if you think The Leap costs a fortune, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. The Leap device that simply hooks up to your USB port is only $69.99 plus shipping, but you have to pre-order and expect yours to arrive between December 2012 through January 2013. Supplies are limited. Go to LeapMotion.com to learn more about this groundbreaking technology and be one of the firsts to own a Leap.
The Leap Motion Controller, Gesture Motion Control for PC or MAC is now available at Amazon.com for $79.99.
11 Comments
Shut up and take my money.!
Ya looks great and i would love to have one but i WILL NOT get it on an apple. EVER.
what does apple have to do with it, just because its sleek and slim doesn’t mean its an apple product!
As cool as this is – and it’s really, really cool – I don’t think this will be picked up as a common way of interacting with computers.
Try holding your hand in the air and moving it around for five minutes. Tiring, isn’t it? Try multiplying that by the ginormous amount of time John Q Geek spends on his computer.
My arm and wrist are sore just thinking about it.
We need Tom Cruise upper body strength 🙂
What sort of speed does a computer need to run at & what RAM is needed as minimum to run this as shown?
Simply cool! 🙂
This device will be useful for exactly as long as you can hold your arm up. I’d say about seven minutes.
I think this is a very “niche” item. I don’t think most people want to wave there hands to control their computer etc… it would be a royal pain.
I purchased a Leap Motion through their kickstarter when the product first came about. When it finally arrived some many months later, I pulled it out of the box, set it up on my laptop, played around with it for 10 minutes, disconnected it and haven’t touched it since.
Simply put, it’s a fantastic concept in theory but it really isn’t something that is going to replace a keyboard / mouse or change the way you interact with your computer. Not because it isn’t capable of that, but simply because the background software (os, office suite, games I want to play, etc) just aren’t there.
Well nice product, I think price is bit high, but products look good