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A new gesture control technology demonstrated by a company called Leap Motion has shown how much more precise it is when compared to the current range of motion controllers offered today on game consoles such as the Kinect or the Wii-mote. Leap Motion claims that 'the Leap' is the most accurate motion sensing device in the world - some 200 times more accurate than existing tech. It can track hundreds of thousands of points at a time, and as the Endadget video demonstration below shows, it picked up the spokesperson's finger movements within an accuracy of a centremetre. Leap Motion had a goal for the Leap for complex human to computer interaction, where the moulding of a virtual piece of clay is possible.
It's so sensitive that you can play Halfbrick's hit arcade fruit slicing game, Fruit Ninja, with just your fingers. Sweeping screenwide slices were possible without needing to make too much movement of your wrists which will be an advantage over something like the Kinect where moving your limbs around to do similar tasks causes fatigue after a certain amount of time.
Leap Motion were a bit tight lipped on how the technology is exactly doing all of this and under such low latency and CPU power due to patents they are currently in the process of applying for, but the Engadget article did reveal that it made unique use of infrared LEDs and cameras which also means that the unit small and cheap to make. Consoles aren't what Leap Motion are primarily aiming for, however. It will be initially be available as a stand-alone peripheral, but the company is in talks to have the Leap embedded into systems such as laptops, desktops, smartphones and tablets.