Enabling consumer electronic devices to respond to natural hand movements all around a screen, Elliptic Labs' touch-less gesturing technology is the first of its kind commercially available and has been incorporated in the Windows 8 Gesture Suite, introduced today.  

Elliptic’s ultrasound technology uses sound waves and microphones to detect movement, similar to how radar detects objects.  The technology is not limited to detecting movement within camera view; it detects natural hand movements that extend beyond the camera, surrounding a device screen.

Science fiction and futuristic movies stepped into reality today as a result of powerful new touch-less gesturing technology from Elliptic Labs based on ultrasound.  The Windows 8 Gesture Suite enables a touch-less version of all touchscreen gestures in the new operating system. Combined with Elliptic’s SDK, the technology gives OEMs the flexibility to create disruptive new ways to interact with devices.

“Microsoft’s new metro interface changes how consumers interact with the operating system and the design is a perfect fit for touch-less gestures. Elliptic’s Windows 8 Gesture Suite gives users a touch-less version of the gestures they already know from a touchscreen,” said Tobias Dahl, chief technology officer and founder of Elliptic Labs.

Ultrasonic touch-less technology uses up to 95% less power than current camera image-based gestural systems, making it an attractive option for device manufactures around the world.  Elliptic provides a Starter Kit for laptops; an out-of-the box solution that allows customers and partners to get started with ultrasound-based gestures without designing hardware. It also comes with an SDK that incorporates natural gestures into devices and delivers an extensive range of example applications. With the SDK, customer and partners can create disruptive new ways to interact with devices and applications beyond Windows 8. The set of controls allows using gestures for scrolling, selecting, rotating objects and controlling menus.

 “The future of technology lies in moving from touchscreen to gesture recognition, but to date, using cameras has proved limiting and unnatural to users. Ultrasonic gesture technology uses sensors to deliver its capabilities and extends gesture-space to all sides of the screen, ensuring that the technology is robust and – unlike cameras – can be used in dark and bright light. Our Elliptic Windows 8 gestures gives users full control of the new interface by simple intuitive gestures in 3D space, enabling a more natural and efficient way to work,” added Mr. Dahl.

Elliptic’s software is in high demand by large OEM, ODMs and component and chip manufactures that are looking to integrate new capabilities allowing consumers to interact with tablets, ultrabooks and smartphones. Elliptic’s Windows 8 Gesture Suite, starter-git and SDK are available immediately.

Tags: Elliptic Labs, Microsoft, Windows 8