Just when we thought that smartphone technology had reached its saturation point, Elliptic Labs is paving the way for the next generation of mobile devices by inventing a new technology that helps control a smartphone with gestures.
A Norwegian startup called Elliptic Labs has found a new way to interact with smartphones - using hand gestures. The new control method, as Elliptic Labs describes it, is called Multi Layer Interaction.
In an official press release, Tuesday, the startup explained that the industry's first Multi Layer Interaction allows users to access various apps and information based on the hand location and distance. The company hopes that device makers exploit the new tech and integrate it into future devices for a "more intuitive navigation experience and quicker interactions".
"It's all about improving the user experience and by presenting easier ways to interact with mobile devices," Elliptic Labs CEO Laila Danielsen said in a press statement. "Our new Multi Layer Interaction makes it faster to work with applications you use repeatedly during the day, such as checking messages, playing games, navigating maps, interacting with social media, and watching videos."
According to Elliptic Labs, the new mobile technology uses ultrasound to track movements above and around the device. It has a range of 180 degrees and up to 50 cm, within which users can perform various actions, including waking up the device even when the processor isn't running. The active range can be used to build devices and software to extend the reach of its new tech.
In a demonstration video using a prototype device, Elliptic Labs showed how users can lock and unlock the smartphone by just double tapping in the air or waving a hand back and forth. The user also played a game by waving a hand in and out and accessed notifications on a locked phone by moving a hand towards the device, PC World reported.
The technology is still in its test phase but a live demo of the new motion sensing tech will be shown at CEATEC 2014 in Japan from October 7 to October 11.
