Skymouse Supports Fingertip Gesture Recognition

Have you ever heard about a computer mouse that Supports Fingertip Gesture Recognition which means it shifts cursor control from the desk to your fingertips. It uses gestures rather than laying your hands on physical devices like mouse, the Skymouse. It is an independent Kickstarter project.

The Skymouse looks like a fun idea, but it's about to get some serious competition from Leap Motion, which is planning a major launch of its gesture control technology later this month. In comparison, the Skymouse is in working prototype form, but the Kickstarter funds are needed to refine the design and go into production.

Internals Of The Skymouse Prototype

Designed by Los Angeles-based Eliott Ephrati, the Skymouse works in two parts. The USB receiver sits on your desk, and you wear four small tabs on your fingertips. Infrared LEDs and an IR camera track your finger movements. An algorithm then translates these hand movements into onscreen movements of the cursor.

Four Small Tabs On Fingertips To Control Computer

We're guessing that wearing the Skymouse Pointers could pose some problems for typing, but Ephrati says he plans to release a second version that will work with naked fingers.

The Skymouse is plug and play and can recognize basic pre-programmed commands, such as left click, right click, middle click and scroll. However, a developer kit will also be offered that will allow "hackers and tinkerers" to create custom commands and gestures.

Ephrati is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to get the Skymouse into production. A minimum pledge of US$70 will score a Skymouse and four Skymouse pointers if the target goal is reached. Other funding tiers are available, including the hacker pack for $180, which comes with the open model for customization. If all goes well, units should be shipped by April 2014.

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Skymouse Supports Fingertip Gesture Recognition