Leap Motion (touch screen without touching)

[Ketamininja]

No need to buy a touchscreen.. use with your existing monitor.

$80... I'm considering it.
Thought I should come and let you all know about it.

What it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21LtA5-wiwU

Official site:
https://www.leapmotion.com/

Order page:
https://central.leapmotion.com/preorder/new

[Tbone]

A little behind the times, Ket! We've been discussing the Leap Motion and how it could apply to the Oculus Rift. I'm of the opinion that it's pretty limited in terms of application for VR, but if all you want to do is turn your monitor into a Minority Report like touchscreen, then it works.

[Ash]

I've got two on pre-order, one for home and the other for work.  Ships july22nd.

Pissed that they delayed it but still excited to see what it can do.

[Ketamininja]

A little behind the times, Ket! We've been discussing the Leap Motion and how it could apply to the Oculus Rift. I'm of the opinion that it's pretty limited in terms of application for VR, but if all you want to do is turn your monitor into a Minority Report like touchscreen, then it works.

Lol that's what happens when I don't log in for ages. I know this has been around for a while, but its "status" has been on and off for a bit. Finally coming out though! I knew you guys would love this... for what it *can* do!

[NoCry]

Ash/ ket Do me a favour and share if it works as envisaged will you. I kind of like this just for web browsing etc.

[Mharz]

I've been following this tech for a long while.  I'm convinced that we don't even know how good it's going to be or how it's going to be best employed.  I can tell you I've seen a few possible apps that could drive this hard into the mainstream.

As Tbone and I have discussed at length, what the Leap Motion device allows is keybinding of finger gestures.  The conclusion we've reached (I think) is that this will only be as good as the method/interface that exists to software.  I still think there might be a VR hook here but the implementation remains a question.

Consider the most simple example like a touch screen or a virtual keyboard on your desktop.  How easy will it be to map each key to a location?  How easy will it be to make custom keys that perform a "macro" in an OS or a game environment?  For example how long would it take to map a "open a new chrome tab and navigate to a website" so that Leap Motion would understand that?

I'll certainly be picking one up at some point - either the first batch released commercially or maybe the ones that are released this fall after they figure out what doesn't work well and they fix those things.

What I would really like to see is a Rift with a down-looking leap motion device that could monitor your hand motion while in a VR environment.  Until then I'll use it and try to dream up some clever ideas about it.

[Subb]

Saw this and immediately thought of the Jarvis interface from Iron Man. Awesome stuff.

[likwidtek]

Saw this and immediately thought of the Jarvis interface from Iron Man. Awesome stuff.

do want

[Mharz]

So I own this and I'm testing it now to write a review.

Initial impressions:

Technically the device is amazing.  Small, simple, and it just works right out of the box.  You plug it in and download some software (<1 minute on my connection) and you're away.  Depending on where you place it and how you use it a calibration is needed but it took me longer to read how to do it than to actually do it (1 minute tops).  The device operates by projecting IR beams upward in a 3 dimensional sector and then tracking the IR reflection on surfaces using built in IR cameras.  From this, you get roughly a two cubic foot IR box into which you can stick things and interact with your PC.  Tracking is on the sub-mm scale (not tested, from specs) and the device is SUPER sensitive.

The first drawback is that the device is maybe too good technically.  Maybe too sensitive.  With a mouse you have a surface under your device that acts to stabilize the device as well as the hand driving it.  That's all gone with the Leap.  Hold your hands and fingers very still and make careful movements to control the input.  If you lack control and a fair degree of manual dexterity you might find this device to be challenging to use.  Sitting at my desk I've learned to prop my hands and arms in such a way that I can insert my hands into the device's field and operate for a long period of time.  This will be a new thing for many people and you'll have to sorta find your own groove here.

The second drawback is that there isn't a defacto gesture set that does the same things (click, scroll, zoom, etc) so each app has to create it's own interface.  I think people like standards so I think this will be a challenge until the user base grows and standards are adopted based on what works for most people.

Finally, the apps.  There aren't many yet.  The app store is growing but it's very early and there are very few apps that are super useful.  There are some Leap enabled websites but those are few and far between.  I'm considering grabbing an SDK and doing some coding(it's been forever but I'm sure I can pick it back up) just to do a little Leap demo.

All in all, after a short time, I think the device is amazing.  I've been following development of it for a long while and I'm pleased at the final form.  If there are going to be gesture controlled PCs this device (or something a lot like it) is going to be how it happens.  Implementation and applications are lacking at this point but I'm confident that the open source SDK and a rabid community of fans will fix that issue soon enough.

If you're a techie who loves to play with new toys the $80 price is reasonable to fuel the fun and development needs you might have.  If you're looking for pure productivity or a super gaming experience you might need to check back in a couple months.

Anyone else here playing with one and can you share your experiences?

[likwidtek]

Relevant:  http://bcove.me/bydxiwxr

[Mharz]

New app.  Tbone and myself sorta saw this coming a while back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnCxsFLUVSM