30+ Days of Christmas #26 - Leap Motion Controller

Welcome back, and I hope the "holiday weekend" has been good to you.

Today, I wanted to share a gift idea for the computer.   If you've seen movies like Iron Man and Minority Report, you may remember those futuristic computers manipulated through hand gestures through the air.   The principle of that is exemplified through today's product - The Leap Motion Controller.

Leap Motion had a product that was funded by crowd funding.   This past summer, the device hit the streets.

What is it?
The controller, itself, is about the size of a Matchbox car, or maybe a small harmonica.   It includes two micro-USB cables (one long, one short), and the driver software.    The controller plugs into the USB port on your PC or Mac based computer.   Sorry fellow Linux users, but it doesn't easily play nice with the penguins - even with WINE.  

At present, the controller is not a substitute for the mouse, but with certain apps from the Leap Motion Store, it can read your hand and finger movements. Watching the map on the device, I was able to see that it could read the different joints in all my fingers, and read how they were moving in relation to the sensor.

Take a look at some of the possibilities:

The Leap Motion Controller is still pretty new.   It currently runs for $79.99 from Leap Motion (or from most retailers).  The apps for the device range from free and up. 

Economical Factor:At nearly $80, this is not the most cost effective tech toy out there.   Games and apps continue to be added to the store, but like smartphone apps, some have a higher cost than others.  


My overall assessment of the Leap Motion Controller is that it is a rather fun device.   I've played around with one for a bit.   I've found that it can do  a pretty good job of reading hand movements.   It does have a bit of a learning curve.   It takes some practice to get the hand gestures just right with the sensor.   The increasing number of apps, and device updates show increasing promise for this device in the coming future.   

I don't recommend this for everyone, and must come back to the fact that this - at present - does not completely replace the mouse.   That may be a possibility down the line, though.   I did find it a fun device to play around with, and have seen the market continue to expand with games and apps.   This is definitely worth having a look at.