The wave of the future employs a wave of the hand

ShareThis

In the movie "Minority Report," Tom Cruise's character manipulates virtual documents and zooms through images with a flurry of hand gestures and motions. The movie is set in 2054.But a number of companies already are creating products that mimic that experience, enabling people to interact with monitors and computers using a wave of their hand or a shift in their body position. Think of it as the next step after the Nintendo Wii -- only you are the Wii controller.The trend was on full display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the focus has shifted to more natural interfaces for computing and entertainment experiences. Gesture-based controls take the idea to the next step, beyond voice activation, touch screens and motion-sensing via Wii controllers.Companies like Reactrix Systems and GestureTek in California, along with the Israeli company 3DV Systems, are working on camera systems that take in 3-D images and translate them into actions. But it's not just sophisticated camera setups: Sony Ericsson is putting out a phone, the Z555, that silences calls and alarms with a wave of your hand over the handset."When you think about user interface, people tend to want to revert to what is natural, intuitive and instinctive," said Michael Ribero, chief executive officer of Reactrix Systems in Redwood City, Calif. "The more natural the interface, the broader the adoption and the more successful the experience."Reactrix plans to introduce a system in March called WAVEscape, which will serve as a gesture-activated advertising and information screen in malls, retail stores and hotels. The company has signed a deal with Hilton Hotel and Resorts to install 115 systems by this summer.The Reactrix system uses two sets of dual cameras that capture images in stereo, much like our eyes do. The cameras, equipped with infrared light, are able to measure depth and translate that into screen actions using sophisticated software algorithms.A user will be able to select from a menu, pull up 3-D images of products, pan across a map or play motion-based video games, all with a wave of the hand. The computer is able to recognize hands and not confuse them with other body parts, allowing it be precise in translating gestures.The WAVEscape system can work from as close as a couple of inches to approximate a touch screen, but also from more than 15 feet away. It also can account for multiple users, making the system ideal for attracting and keeping the attention of a group of passersby.In a real-world setting, the system will look like a regular digital sign in a mall. But as customers pass by at a distance, the screen can draw their attention by mimicking their movements. As users get closer, it can morph into an interactive advertisement, game or information kiosk."We're trying to create a digital canvas that allows brands to create experiences uniquely tailored to a specific environment," Ribero said.GestureTek, a Canadian company now based in Sunnyvale, Calif., has been on the leading edge of this trend, building cameras that recognize movement. GestureTek technology has gone into products like the Sony EyeToy accessory for the PlayStation, which allows people to use rudimentary movements to control game play.The company's latest product, introduced this month, is AirPoint, a 12-inch remote bar with two cameras that allows users to direct PowerPoint presentations and onscreen actions by waving their hand over it. AirPoint, which works with Microsoft Windows, allows the user to remain well away from a screen and control a cursor or other onscreen actions."The AirPoint is the perfect technology for doing 'Minority Report'-type of interactions," said Vincent John Vincent, president and co-founder of GestureTek. "You don't have to hold anything in your hand, but you can get that one-to-one movement relationship."Vincent said GestureTek has been at work on gesture-based interfaces for 20 years. But the quest is finally coming together now that processors are speeding up, cameras are becoming more sophisticated and cheaper, and algorithms are able to account for a wide range of human movements.He said early camera-based systems basically captured motion but weren't able to recognize 3-D images. Newer systems like the AirPoint, which will sell for about $3,000, are precise enough to make motion control a reality. And now with the popularity of the Wii, people are warming to the idea of motion control.(E-mail Ryan Kim at rkim(at)sfchronicle.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)