Gesture Recognition Systems

Gesture Recognition Systems
Have you ever wanted to change the channel, but didn’t want to get up to find the remote control? That may now be possible with new Gesture Recognition Systems that are being developed. These systems are now starting to edge their way into consumer electronics. The idea behind this technology is to employ a camera in order to watch the user of the device, and react to that person’s hand signals. For example, to signal “stop”, the user would simply hold their palm out flat.
One of the big developers and marketers of these systems is Toshiba. They currently have one product out that exemplifies an early version of this technology. Their product is the Qosmio G55 laptop, which can recognize hand gestures in order to control multimedia playback. Toshiba is currently working on developing a TV version of this technology as well. In order for this to work, the technology would sit on top of the TV and watch for hand signals given by the viewer. There is still work to be done before this product will be available on the market.
Gesture Recognition Systems could also produce breakthroughs in the medical industry. Recently at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel they developed a hand gesture recognition system that allows doctors to manipulate digital images during medical procedures. This allows for greater sterility because they are motioning instead of having to touch the screen. Using this technology for all types of medical procedures could become very important in medical developments and practices.
There are many audiences that these systems could be marketed to. For example, laptops and televisions with Gesture Recognition Systems could be marketed to anyone. I think they could become the norm in the near future for remote controls. As technologies such as DVD players and DVRs have become so prevalent and mainstream, I can foresee the same happening with these systems.
The impact of Gesture Recognition Systems may be that they will completely replace computer mice and remote controls. They may also have a huge impact on the medical field. As all new technology sees, these systems may have glitches that people will have to work through when first using them. They may require backup capabilities such as a remote control in case of a glitch, so that users will still be able to use technologies that have the systems. Overall, I think this is an exciting new development occurring in the technology industry that could create quite a stir in the near future.
For more information, visit the following sites:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/152683-5/future_tech.html#9

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111816.php