Motion Controller

Omni-directional treadmills promise to take things a stationary step further than current motion controllers, such as the Wii-mote, PlayStation Move and Microsoft Kinect, by translating movements to an onscreen avatar as users walk and run on the spot. The Omni from Virtuix is one such treadmill aimed at home users and its creators recently demonstrated its use with the Oculus Rift, providing a tantalizing glimpse of its potential to provide an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience and really get gamers moving.  Read More

It hasn’t even been released yet but the Leap Motion could already be considered something of a success – at least with PC manufacturers. Following in the footsteps of Asus, who announced in January that it would bundle the 3D motion controller with some of its PCs, the world’s biggest PC manufacturer has joined the gesture control party. But HP has gone one step further, promising to build the Leap Motion technology into some future HP devices.  Read More

Controlling a computer with a mouse is so last decade. Products like the Leap Motion are on the forefront for using a 3D space to control a PC, and Microsoft's Kinect is bringing similar technology to the gaming world. A new product called the DUO is entering the fray, but with the key difference being that it includes an open source SDK and is available as a DIY product for more adventurous users.  Read More

The creators of the Leap Motion controller took the stage at the South By Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, Texas, to show off their forthcoming US$80 system and talk about its place in a world that already has the Microsoft Kinect and other similar hardware. Gizmag captured Leap's on-stage demonstration at SXSW and also went hands-on with the motion controller.  Read More

While opinions are divided on how video games affect young minds, one thing seems to be definite – spending a lot of time playing sit-down games makes kids fat. Fortunately, gaming systems like Wii and Kinect are getting players active. Now, motion capture and medical diagnostics company Intellect Motion hopes to take that trend farther, with a line of active gaming products aimed at keeping children fit.  Read More

Having already joined the motion control party by partnering with PrimeSense, the company behind Microsoft's Kinect, ASUS is now partnering with Leap Motion, the company responsible for a sensor that enables full control of a PC or Mac using hand and finger gestures. The 3D motion control tech will be bundled with selected ASUS' high-end notebooks and All-in-One (AiO) PCs by the end of 2013.  Read More

Samsung gave journalists attending this year's IFA a treat with an appearance by Victoria's Secret model Angela Bellotte. Hot models on stage with her included the Samsung 75-inch ES9000 LED Smart 3D TV and the ES9500 55-inch OLED TV. Bellotte demoed the gesture-controlled version of Angry Birds that's included on the ES9000, and took part in Samsung's introduction of the new Multi View feature on the ES9500.  Read More

Pico projectors might be able to turn any old surface into a display – with varying results of course – but can they turn any old surface into in interactive display and everyday objects into a remote? No? Well, with LightBeam they can. Developed by a team at Germany’s Technische Universität Darmstadt, LightBeam pairs a pico projector with a depth-sensing camera to provide some Kinect style interactive control to projected presentations.  Read More

As evidenced by the popularity of motion controlled fitness games ushered in by the Wii and followed by the PlayStation Move and Kinect, so called "exergaming" - the combining of exercise and video games - is a field that has grown rapidly in popularity in recent years. But if you don't want to shell out for a new console and already have an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, as well as a treadmill, elliptical machine or exercise bike laying about, then the new Fit Freeway app is designed to make working up a sweat a bit more fun.  Read More