Give me a wave: Gesture-controlled television

Gesture-controlled devices that read movements rather than touch are transforming our technological interactions, creating more intuitive ways to manage electronic devices and offering new possibilities to liven up point-of-sale material and in-store displays.

A new gesture-based television by Toshiba allows viewers to use hand movements to interact with the display. Using the technology in a tv set is just the beginning, explains Professor Roberto Cipolla, professor of information engineering and part-time managing director at Toshiba Research Europe’s Cambridge Research Laboratory. ‘The gesture-control research is opening an array of possibilities for consumers, such as new interfaces for tvs and interactive displays in shop windows and information kiosks.’ As well as an alternative to tangible device controllers, the gesture-reading technology could create interactive features for consumers – perhaps advertising billboards that react to the movements of passers-by?