CES 2012: Motion sensing cameras to control PC

At CES 2012, three companies demonstrated their new technology with motion sensing cameras that allow you to control your PC with body movements. These motion sensing cameras are definitely an evidence for the dominance of technology in future.

These cameras are already made popular by the Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming console. Now, this technology is free to be used on the other devices. However, this camera is not ready for to reach the mass market still.

The companies have exhibited these cameras so that the software developers and the gadget makers will work with their technology and also incorporate this in their devices. For the us, this technology is just a taste of what will come in future.

These cameras are another challenge for the keyboard and mouse that are already getting eroded due to the touch screens. If you are in front of a motion sensing camera, it does not require you to touch anything to control it. You can browse and play using hand gestures alone just like a mouse.

The camera will tell how far away the things are held as far as they are in their field of vision. The technology sends an invisible pattern of light and then registers how it gets deformed as it hits the objects.

Right now, this technology will benefit only the software developers and so it will not be useful for you. Moreover, the motion sensing range is currently limited to 12 feet and at the end of the range the accuracy is not guaranteed. This also means that the finger gestures made across the room may not be picked by the camera.

Microsoft will start selling the Kinect for Windows from February 1^st 2012 for a price of $249. Even Asus has started to sell the Xtion in December last year for a price of $149 and the same applies to SoftKinectics whose camera is available for $449.