Hitachi, a leading LCD television manufacturer of the world seems to have resolved to bring forth the unique bare hand remote control concept for the televisions, as it has been reported to have approached GestureTek, a Silicon Valley based software developing firm on this context. The meeting of Hitachi with GestureTek is believed to be all about engaging its software to a depth camera to sense movement and subsequently translate the captured movement into onscreen commands.
Although the concept is still in the prototype stage, demonstrations by Hitachi last year at Cealtec and CES in January have hinted that this technology might just be the future of domestic digital appliances related remote control technology. If this technology is put to wide use, the predominant sector reaping the advantage would be the LCD TV sector.
The working pattern of the bare hand – remote control would count a camera that is placed at the lower part of the frame of the TV locking on to a hand of an individual standing in front of the TV. The gestures picked up by the camera would be sensed as; left or right navigation from hand waving sideways, and clicking as in a mouse from the hand lingering over a particular spot.
The innovative software warns the camera of extraneous movements as well as the hands of people other than the subject, the camera would respond to which by ignoring these. The camera referred to here, being a depth camera can sense a movement that is toward, away, horizontal or vertical. This says that the hand gestures can be programmed to turn pages and browse through menus as well as choose letters to find show titles; a welcome addition for internet and widget service enabled TVs.
The new concept is very much expected bring forth to the LCD market a surge of range of new motion controlled LCD TVs that offer something more than just controlling the programmes from a distance.
