Leap Motion Controller is Becoming a Virtual Steering Wheel

Hold your arm out in front of you. Why isn’t your computer reacting? Toronto-based design firm Teehan+Lax is seeking to fix that unresponsive box of disappointment on your desk by attaching the oft-discussed Leap Motion controller, and giving users a unique way of cruising Google Street view.  The potential of the motion controller is great.  Users have the opportunity to virtually “drive” legendary stretches of road worldwide, or gesturally control a myriad of applications, truly bringing their computers into the future with the sort of functionality many of us expected to have by now.

Gesture Everything: Leap Motion Controller

Kinect was fun for gamers, and enticing to marketers for out of home installations. Now it’s time for “the Kinect on steroids,” known as the Leap Motion Controller.  The controller is set to launch at retail on May 13th, but lucky individuals are getting to see it in action at SXSW this week with a host of compatible software by a range of developers.  The early enthusiasm over the device is, at least partially, owed to its ability to detect changes in motion as small as 1mm, but this sharp precision is of concern as it can cause readings to be less smooth than desired.  The technology is still in its infancy, and improvements are on the way via software developers, but as it stands, the Leap Motion Controller certainly offers something to look forward to as an out-of-home marketing must-have waiting to happen.