Basic Operations Of Technology

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

ABSTRACT:

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The Leap is a small USB peripheral designed to rest on a user's desk, facing upward, thereby creating a 3D interaction space of roughly 8 cubic feet. Inside this space the Leap has been advertised to track hands and fingers as well as tools such as pens, pencils and chopsticks with a very high accuracy level up to 100th of a millimeter.

Leap is a breakthrough in the future of interaction with the computer, using an interactive approach to 3D, touch free motion sensing & motion control software that is 200 times more accurate than any device on the market. Through this new technology it is possible to replace the use of Mouse & Keyboard .

INTRODUCTION:

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The Leap device is more accurate than a mouse, reliable like a keyboard and much more sensitive than a touch screen device. The user control a computer in all the three dimensions with natural waves of hand and finger movements. Leap Motion has a well leapfrogged the state of the art in the field of interaction with a personal computer, giving users the ability to control what's on their computers with an accuracy of a hundredth of a millimeter and introducing touch free gestures like pinch gestures to zoom a picture or an object.

In a demonstration model given to CNET, the Leap was shown to perform activities like navigating a website, use of pinch to zoom gestures on google maps, high precision drawing, and manipulation of complex 3D data and designing of visualizations.

CEO Speech (Michael Buckwald):

The CEO of Leap has said that with the Leap motion technology there will be a creation of a world changing applications that fundamentally transforms how people will interact with the computer operating system or surf the internet. The goal is to transform the way the people interact with their computers and to do in the same way that the mouse did, which results in a global transformation towards the Leap technology, both from the most basic use case all the way up to the most advanced use cases the users can imagine in the computing technology.

Basic operations of technology:

Navigating an operating system.

Browsing Web pages with the flick of a finger.

Pinching to zoom in on the google maps.

Let the engineers interact with a 3D model of clay.

Precision drawing in two or three dimensions.

Manipulation of complex 3D visualizations.

Playing games, including those that require very fast switch control.

Signing digital documents by writing in the air.

Leap Motion plans to distribute thousands of units for free to developers who are interested in creating applications for the device, followed by a consumer launch with a price of US$69. 99.

1. Vision & Viability:

Vision:

Leap Motion, a company in San Francisco has just announced a new low cost depth camera with an amazing accuracy at least for close range applications. If this sensor has similar accuracy for mid-range applications (i.e. For ranges between 1-5 meters) the users should probably have a new sensor to take in mind for robotic perception and particularly for Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).

Leap Motion's vision is not to merely replace the mouse and keyboard or the touch screen devices but also to break the idea idea of interaction with the computing devices through some other piece of hardware. If there is Leap there is no need to grab a mouse or poke a screen. This technology is all about just moving the hands in 3D space.

Leap Motion has no real interest or any other intention behind selling the device, with this small piece of hardware about half the width of an iPod and double the thickness connects to the PC or a Mac through USB. The company is planning to develop a wireless version of this device for future release. This software runs in the background of the running applications and provides a new experience to the users.

The use of the device depends upon the developmental Leap wants its users to use the full of potential of the device and push the limits and hurdles of the interface. Leap serves as a platform for the user and not just a piece of device stuffed with technology. Developers will realize the full potential of this device through various applications that is developed.

When Leap Motion was introduced, the product’s website was posed with a still standing question to developers regarding the use of this technology. Developers are gifted with a free unit of this technology who respond with an interesting pitch of its application.

The base language for the Leap Motion’s API (Application Program Interface) is C++, but the company is aiming to constantly revise its Software Development Kit (SDK) based on the feedback of the developers. It has already been able to provide wrappers for Objective C, and JavaScript, leading to a range of games, parts of iOS apps based on Objective C, and websites JavaScript leveraging Leap, the company is also looking to add a wrapper for Android as well.

From transcendent Star Trek Holo suites to mind-blowing Minority Report graphics, the vision for computers has enticed and intrigued developers for decades, but ultimately this idea has come to its life.

But with the Leap Motion controller, 3D gesture control has finally made out of the lab and into real life. The founder of Leap Motion David Holz is an initiative person to provide the computer users with the interactive way of computing with their computers. The experience of the users to control the computer application by hand and finger movements is transforming the way people interact with computers. And Leap Motion is getting started to bind the gap between interactivity and traditional way of computing.

Viability:

The Leap motion sensor seems like a very viable option allowing for a hand to make precise maneuvers that the robot will then do more accurate than using a controller. The developers hoped to get this project in motion practice in the off-season and so they completed it in the real season in January 2013.

The company is tight-lipped about how the device implements depth discernment, although the combination of the image sensor and infrared transmitter technologies is reported as the key to the design. A time-of-flight algorithm is one possibility, although the device's small size would make such an implementation a notable achievement.

The 3-D gesture interface interaction space supported by the device is approximately 8 cubic feet in size. Leap Motion earlier this month received $12.75 million in Series A funding, led by Highland Capital Partners. The company is hoping to create a vibrant third-party software ecosystem for its hardware, and is currently accepting developer applications. The company also granted Engadget a hands-on evaluation, along with letting Wired do some testing

Hands-free motion control, a technology pioneered by Nintendo's Wii and later improved upon by Microsoft's Kinect, just took a very big leap forward. Industries from gaming to surgery to architecture, engineering, and design may never be the same.

With the unveiling today of its Leap 3D motion control system, a San Francisco startup called Leap Motion has well leapfrogged the state of the art in this young field, giving users the ability to control on their computers with a hundredth of a millimeter accuracy and introducing touch-free gestures like pinch-to-zoom.

As for the interface itself, it worked quite well in the prototype I got a chance to use. You can point with your finger or any sort of wand (a pencil, a drumstick, or heck an actual magician's wand if you want to be funny about it) and get a single cursor on the screen. You can wave your whole hand over the interface and get five cursors, or you can use both hands for 10 cursors. There is no lag to speak of, which makes for seamless, reliable control.

Leap, which comprises both a small USB input device and a sophisticated software platform, is expected to cost $70. But while others will have to wait to get their hands on it, what the company is showing today seems likely to get developers and users in a wide range of industries.

By now, most people have seen Kinect in action. The Microsoft system has become a huge success by allowing developers to make games and other software that let people control what's on their screens with their bodies. That's great for dancing, fighting, and sports games, plus many others, but Kinect's ability to recognize motion ends at the user's hand.

2. Motivation:

The original inspiration behind Leap Motion came from the frustration with 3D modeling. Molding clay took 10 seconds in real life but 30 minutes with a computer. The mouse and keyboard were simply getting in the way. Since available technology couldn’t solve this problem, Developers created the Leap Motion controller.

Leap Motion is a 3D controller that made its public debut, after two years of work on the device, during which time founders Michael Buchwald and David Holz raised $14.55 million in funding. The Leap Motion is a motion control interface designed for use with existing computers, and in demo videos the device calls to mind naturally, sci-fi interfaces like the one found in the Tom Cruise blockbuster Minority Report.

Its motion control that doesn’t look gimmicky or full of compromises and CEO and founder Buchwald told Beta Kit in an interview that in terms of underlying technology, Leap is heads and tails above most of what’s out there. Before diving into the more technical details of the device he created, Holz told about the genesis of his idea to create a better way for humans to interact with their computing devices.

There's a problem with creating and manipulating 3D models using a mouse and keyboard, it's a needlessly complicated operation involving clicks and drop down menus. Holz wanted a way to make molding virtual clay as easy as molding clay in the real world. After four years of research and many iterations of hardware, the Leap was finally finished.

Unlike other motion-control options like Microsoft’s Kinect, Leap’s focus is all about up-close-and-personal interactivity and delineating subtle, specific movements. That means people can interact with their computers in a much more natural way, instead of having to stand far back and be overly gestural and demonstrative in order to have tracking sensors pick up their movements. In terms of being a practical tool people can use for daily productivity tasks, instead of saying & emulating jumping up and down on a river raft that provides a very marked advantage.

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LEAP MOTION INTERNAL VIEW

The Leap is a phenomenally accurate motion detection technology that can track your individual finger movements down to 1/100th of a millimeter. Using the technology, swipes of the air replace touch screen gestures.

Wired into an unlimited number of apps and operating systems, Leap could completely alter the way of interacting with the computers, very soon. And Leap is being made available for software developers to create diverse applications into the next dimension.

The Leap has captured tremendous international attention from developers, with more than 26,000 currently requesting to work with the world’s most accurate 3-D motion-control technology. Developers in more than 140 countries and all 50 U.S. states have applied for one of Leap Motion’s free software development units.

The remaining requests span the globe, with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Italy, Japan, and India is requesting the most units. More than 1500 applications have come from researchers and students at colleges and universities, including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University.

During the first seven days following the Leap’s unveiling, developer applications poured in at an average rate of one every minute. Leap Motion received 15,000 developer applications within the first week. The CEO Michael Buckwald of the organization said that the Leap Motion is committed to radically change the way people interact with computers, and opening Leap up to the creative imagination of the world is essential to truly realize the potential of this technology said. The organization has already seen developers propose exciting applications for the Leap that it hadn’t even imagined, and look forward to even more. New applications continue to come in daily, and thousands of developer units will be sent around the globe in the coming months.

Leap Motion's commitment to open developer support includes:

A full-time team dedicated to working directly with Leap Motion developers.

An active online community, including a forum for developer discussions.

Upcoming hackathons and developer meet-ups.

Plans for the creation of an app store and discovery platform for developers to share their Leap-inspired creations with millions of potential users around the world.

The developers can’t wait for Leap users to experience the applications when the product ships in early 2013. The most popular application categories for developers are;

Gaming (14 percent)

Music and video (12 percent)

Art and design (11 percent)

Science and medicine (8 percent)

Robotics (6 percent)

Web & social (6 percent)

Education (4 percent)

More than 90 percent of developers want to sell their applications through the Leap Motion store. Leap Motion has also received more than 400 proposals for computer-aided design software. Other use ideas from developers include translating sign language, driving a car or airplane, supporting physical rehabilitation and special needs, manipulating photos and videos, creating new art forms, and thousands more.

3. Hardware Requirement:

Like the Kinect, the peripheral tracks human body gestures, and translate this movement into corresponding motions on a video display. According to Leap Motion, its input device is 200 times more precise than Kinect or anything else on the market. It’s a bold claim that’s difficult to test. So down with this Leap Motion co-founders Michael Buckwald and David Holz developed the platform to wiggle their fingers at the new device.

It's about the size of a pack of gum, and once connected to a computer via USB, it creates an eight-cubic-foot virtual workspace. Within that area, it tracks all ten of the fingers simultaneously to within 1/100 of a millimeter this level of accuracy allows for rudimentary gestures like pinch-to-zoom and more complex actions like manipulating 3D-rendered objects. Naturally, the company isn't saying much about the black magic making it happen, but Leap Motion claims that its software can be embedded in almost anything with an onboard computer, from phones to refrigerators.

Users can customize it to suit their needs with custom gestures and sensitivity settings, in addition to chaining multiple Leap devices together to create a larger workspace. Plus, Leap Motion has created an SDK for developers to create Leap-compatible applications and an application discovery platform to distribute the developed applications to others. That means the Leap can work in a variety of use cases, from simply navigating in a desktop, gaming and computer-aided design. Leap brings you this next-generation user interface for a mere $69.99, and a select few can pre-order them now, with the full roll-out.

The first thing noticed in the test is the system’s lack of latency. If people have ever drawn on a touchscreen tablet, there is a time lag between quick finger strokes and the tablet’s slower registration of those strokes. But the Leap’s lag is imperceptible. Finger movements, swipes and taps in midair are instantly registered as onscreen movements.

Using a USB connection, the device creates eight cubic feet of space to interact with a computer. The controls are similar to using a touch screen computer in the air. But what's more impressive is the accuracy that the Leap can measure.

Breakthroughs in technology come in all sizes, but often the very biggest disruptors come in very small packages such as the computer chip, the mouse, the Smartphone and now the Leap. Roughly the size of the finger, Developers believe the Leap is the future of how people will interact with their devices.

Currently, Microsoft Kinect is the biggest player in the 3D motion-control technology. However, Kinect is not accurate enough to track handwriting. Michael & Holz said that the Leap is 200 times more sensitive than existing technologies.

Earlier, a newly minted company called Leap Motion revealed its first product The LEAP. It's a hardware add-on for the PC and Mac that, in the company's own words, continuous motion sensing technology that is 200 times more accurate than anything currently on the market, in an obvious slam against Microsoft's Kinect device. The device is due to be released in early 2013 for just $70

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COMPACT SIZE

Engadget got a chance to demo a prototype of the Leap and liked what it saw. The article claims that while using the demo unit, the Leap didn't show any signs of lag while the user's fingers played interactive games like Fruit Ninja or drew in a 3D art app.

What's previously been an expensive special effect in movies is now an affordable everyday reality, in full 3-D. With the Leap, users can use both hands and all 10 fingers to work within the computer's virtual environment just as easily as they do in the real world.

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Perhaps the coolest thing about the Leap is that the hardware required to use it is very small. It is so tiny that the hardware could actually be built into PC laptops, much like how cameras are now installed in some PC notebooks.

In fact, Leap Motion's leaders say they are currently in talks with unnamed but several big hardware manufacturers that could lead to an agreement for having the Leap hardware put inside future notebooks. So the next time users buy a laptop, or perhaps even a desktop PC, they might do away completely with the mouse and keyboard in favor of the Leap technology.

4. Software Requirement:

In addition to the Leap for computers, the core software is versatile enough to be embedded in a wide range of devices, including smart phones, tablets, cars and refrigerators. One day 3-D motion control will be in just about every device the users interact with, and thanks to the Leap, that day is coming sooner than anyone expected. Users need third-party Leap Motion software in order to do things with the Leap Motion controller. Developers not yet determined if they will be including some third-party software in the box.

The Leap Software Development Program is the perfect way for the company to build a stable of apps that use it before it launches to consumers. The potential is here to bring this revolution into people’s every day. LEAP believes this potential can best be reached by working with developers as passionate about the Leap as it was.

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Software Development Team

The 3D motion control company Leap motion has launched its Software Development Program and has sent out a letter to developers informing them that they can sign up. The letter also indicates that Leap is sending test units to developers who have requested access to the program.

Windows and OS X will have some fairly basic functionality (e.g. Point/click, scrolling, etc.), But the developers not yet finalized what will be in the box. It will have a software store where software for the Leap Motion controller will be available. Those applications will extend the functionality of the device tremendously. The software embedded in the Product (and any updates thereto) ("Product Software") is licensed separately and governed by the Leap Motion EULA.

Working Of Software:

On plugging a Leap sensor into a USB port on a PC running Vista, Windows 7, 8, or MAC OSX with loading specific Leap Motion provided driver software, what the PC will see looks to it like a touchscreen or a touchpad. Users will be able to interact with PC similar to what would be able to do with a touchpad mouse. Users will be able to point, click and scroll without loading anything else, because the USB plug-n-play will detect the sensor as matching a known type of driver and that's what will bridge between gestures and the cursor movement on the display.

If they want to do anything else like establish a mapping between gesture and some specific text string to be faxed as a keyboard command entry that will require the Leap drivers. Without the software driver for the device the user can simply do two-dimensional touch device stuff, no additional software is required for basic tasks; If they want to use any of the real stuff the Leap sensor can do, in combination with the full capabilities offered by the third dimension and the precision the users need the Leap drivers.

Leap is not providing any of the fancy software packages that people want to use it with, it is simply intended to develop and in some cases assist original vendors and the developers working with the SDKs to develop the code that bridges into the fancy software. The user has to buy digital-audio-workstation packages, or CAD packages, or MMPORG game packages, or animation editing packages, etc.

By accessing or using the services, users are accepting and agreeing to these terms on behalf of themselves or the entity they represent, and represent and warrant that they have the right, authority, and capacity to accept and agree to these terms on behalf. Users may not access or use the services or accept or agree to these terms if they are not 18 years old or older. If they do not agree with any of the provisions of these terms, they are restricted from using the services.

Automatic Software Updates:

Leap Motion may from time to time develop patches, bug fixes, updates, upgrades and other modifications to improve the performance of the Web App and/or Mobile Apps ("Updates"). Users acknowledge that they may be required to install the updates to use the Services and agree to promptly install any Updates Leap Motion provides.

In addition, acknowledgement that Leap Motion may update the Web App without requiring any additional consent or action, and consent to Leap Motion updating the Web App, as described above. If they do not want such Updates, the remedy is to stop using the Web App or Mobile Apps and cease using the services altogether.

Now, the company envisions an application store where users who have bought the Leap can go to purchase a very wide range of applications built for the device.

Believe that ultimately, the sheer number of uses for this technology is so great that the value can only be realized by making it open to the developers. So think what would have happened if the mouse had been initially being released as a closed technology. The impact would have been a tiny percentage of what the impact was because it was an open system that anyone could develop for.

5. Technology Design:

The device is about the size of a gum, or a small iPod. Sitting right in front of a Mac or PC, the device senses hand motions and allows users to control the computer with hand gestures in the air. Those motions will allow users to zoom in on pictures, rotate on-screen 3-D objects, draw, write, create 3-D computer-aided designs, and much more.

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The device costs about $70 in pre-order prices, and will be delivered to consumers in early 2013. But before the hardware is delivered, Leap Motion wants a rich software ecosystem.

The company is also releasing an updated Software Development Kit (SDK), with new features that will help developers build gesture-aware applications much faster than before. The new SDK offers pre-fabricated building blocks: a library of defined interaction API. Which means that instead of trying how a user moves his hand, the developers will now have access to a library of sensed motions: a twist, a push, a sweep, etc.

The Leap software will report a defined and pre-identified motion, and developers will now simply need to map that gesture to actions in the applications.

Design:

The device itself is a small box, just 8 centimeters long, which contains infrared cameras that can track each finger independently at an accuracy of 1/100th of a millimeter. It creates an invisible 3D box above the device in which your fingers are tracked 290 times per second.

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Teaser videos have confirmed the Leap's status as The Next Big Thing and, now that software developers have had a chance to get their hands on it and give their feedback, it is due to launch worldwide.

The accuracy with which it tracks each finger is extraordinary and it is easy to see why people are heralding it as the device that will kill off the mouse and keyboard once and for all. There is no perceptible lag between a flick of the fingers and its onscreen counterpart. The closely guarded secret of how Leap is able doing this lies in the software that processes the input from the Leap box, which was designed by Leap Motion's co-founder David Holz, an ex-NASA scientist.

The firm is heading on top of product marketing. On a test the device is connected to the laptop which gave extraordinary results in 3D matrix, designed to show off Leap's impressive precision. By zooming in, and other gestures, it is said to be the most accurate device than anything in this market. Each finger is tracked and shown in a different color. Visualization applications let the user to stir up eddies of foaming color on the screen with a wiggle the finger.

It's clever and intuitive stuff, when consumers finally get their hands on Leap it will come with an app store of its own with up to 1000 and more apps, ranging from games to art and design as well as a music creation apps, such as Air Harp. Many more will come once it is rolled out. Leap is not ruling out any markets, from gaming to education, from military to medical - just like Microsoft's Kinect, but on a completely different level of precision.

Zagorsek says that in the future Leap can be shrunk so it could be built into tablets or Smartphones. On its own, it will cost $70.

Leap Motion released a demo application showcasing how an intern software developer uses the new SDK to create a simple 3-D game:

Finally, the company announced that the Leap will ship with an app store, so users can pick up more software that understands what they are doing with their hands, and so developers can monetize their creations.

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There is no word yet, however on whether major applications such as Microsoft Office, iPhoto, or even web browsers such as Chrome will incorporate support for Leap gestures. Or whether operating system vendors such as Microsoft, Apple, and Google (Chrome OS) will build support for Leap right into their system.

Leap Motion has raised $14.55 million from various investors to take the Leap and its gesture language to the world. The top priority is making sure that when the Leap Motion controller ships to consumers, it is supported by a wide array of quality applications.

6. System Study:

There was a time when the mouse and keyboard were the two primary ways to interact with a computer. Then came touch screens, and the idea of "natural input" became all the rage.

Our eyes and the space around us may be the next big innovations on that front. For the past few years, a handful of companies has been working on eye-tracking and gesture control for computers. Now, there are signs that these natural input methods are almost ready for prime time.

Here’s one recent example: Leap Motion, the maker of a small, upcoming motion controller for Windows and Mac computers, announced this week that its hardware will be bundled with select PCs from Asus. Later this year, Asus will start embedding the technology directly into high-end notebooks and all-in-one PCs. (A standalone version of Leap Motion, which costs $70, is shipping soon.)

The leap’s sensor is roughly the size of an iPod, and it creates a space of eight cubic feet for recognizing hand and finger gestures. Leap expects its technology to be useful in 3D modeling and artwork, midair handwriting, gaming or just pinching and zooming on web pages. The company is releasing tools so developers can make their apps work with the device.

Feasibility:

Founded in 201, the startup raised a $1.3 million seed financing round in June 2011 with investments from venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund as well as several angel investors. In May 2012, Leap Motion announced a $12.75 millions Series A funding round led by Highland Capital Partners with participation from existing investors. After operating in stealth mode since 2010, Leap Motion publicly announced its first product, The Leap, on May 21, 2012. Pre-ordered devices are set to ship in the first quarter of 2013. Leap Motion has demoed its Leap 3D motion control system, which can track motion to around 0.01mm accuracy, 200 times more accurate than the Kinect.

Leap is now taking pre-orders for its Leap Motion sensor, a USB accessory that enables full control of your PC or Mac using simple hand and finger gestures. The company claims that its product is the most accurate gesture sensor available, and it costs only US$70.

As the Leap sensor is quite small, making it portable enough to throw into a laptop bag when traveling. Despite its small size, Leap claims that its device is 200 times more accurate than competitors such as Kinect for Windows. This raises a few questions, as Leap has not specified what technology powers its sensor. However, the company has stated that its device uses technology unlike anything else available.

Leap believes its sensor has an infinite number of uses. For starters they can easily perform navigation in PC, controlling an operating system with hands and fingers, and interact with PC without a mouse or the keyboard. There is also the potential for Leap to make a splash with PC gaming, developers can integrate Leap Motion controls in their games as they build them.

Strengthening the appeal of the Leap Motion sensor is its price, at $70. Leap has the potential to catch fire if the actual product lives up to the hype that its demo video has created. Leap is currently recruiting thousands of developers to ensure that its sensor will have plenty of applications available on launch day which is anticipated to be in December of 2012 or January of 2013.

Rather than taking Microsoft's approach, Leap Motion creates a personal 3D workspace of about four cubic feet. The Leap consists of a small USB device with industry-standard sensors and cameras that, in tandem with the company's software, can track multiple objects and recognize gestures.

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In a demo given to CNET, Leap's designers showed off OS navigation and web browsing using a single finger, writing, pinch-to-zoom, precision drawing, 3D modeling, and gaming. From what we can see, it looks to be a very precise system, capable of recognizing objects in your hands and tracking them instead of your digits.

Leap Motion is releasing an SDK and also distributes free devices to "qualified developers" who can develop varied applications for the system to use the device. Although Leap Motion is a startup, it has significant funding behind it, and the system is scheduled to launch in $69.99.

The leap will be compatible with either Windows or Mac OS X, and is available for persons in the United States only to pre-order from the company's website. Leap has embedded an official video showing off the Leap's capabilities to help the user to start with their interaction through Leap device.

7. Application of Technology:

Leap motion is best suited to those who seek to stick to the technology and update their computing skills. The user can emulate various other gestures according to their wish and also can easily understand the various meanings and control of the gestures. Some of the predefined functions performed by leap motion are as follows.

Crush and throw gesture to close windows.

The wave of the hand to wake computer up from hibernation.

Easy to use maps on the internet.

Ease of zoom in and zoom out through pinch gestures.

Gaming is well developed through gesture input.

"Like" a video on YouTube or articles on social networks by clapping.

No more CTRL-ALT-DEL Just throws your arms up in the air and your computer will ask if you want to reboot. Then, just slap your face to confirm.

Make strangling actions when your iDevice refuses to sync properly. This causes iTunes to offer a backup restore.

Your computer automatically set a snooze alarm for 15 minutes when you lay your head on the keyboard.

A whole new world opens up for online make-up tutorials.

Make computer bark ferociously when you something like pets and child strolls across the keyboard.

Computing tasks ranging from simple to complex can now be accomplished with natural hand and finger movements. Current uses of the Leap include:

Basic computing tasks like navigating an operating system or browsing through Web pages.

Precise virtual drawing in 2-D and 3-D.

Signing a digital document by writing in the air.

Navigating large-scale 3-D data visualization systems.

Creating and manipulating 3-D models like houses and cars.

Playing computer games, including fast-twitch first-person shooters.

Future applications from developers could include medical imaging, robotics, unique art creations, computer-aided design, virtual reality environments, training simulators for complex manual tasks and more.

The Leap plugs directly into a USB port and calibrates in one step, allowing users to quickly begin controlling their computers with natural hand and finger movements. Users can fine-tune the Leap's sensitivity settings, create their own custom gestures and even network more than one Leap together to create a larger interactive space.

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Accurate Sensing of Gestures

The application gives the user a space nearly about 8 feet above the device within which it has the limit to recognize the gestures and motions of the user. The accuracy is the main feature of this technology which blows up the mind of the users regarding the performance.

The software is extremely "thinned out," as once downloaded, the Leap software doesn’t open an app, but it instead reveals a small icon in the task bar with a pull-down menu. The only way to tell if your Leap Motion device is working is to open the visualizer and test it. The visualizer is a 3D grid that displays your finger movements with a long colorful tail. Each finger has its own color, but the device has trouble recognizing which finger is which, so you’ll usually get a different color for the same finger each time.

8. Innovation driven application:

ASUS plans to bundle the Leap Motion controller with its upcoming premium All-In-One (AiO) PC’s and high-end notebooks for global distribution.

ASUS is one of the world's largest consumer notebook vendors and the maker of the world's best-selling and most award-winning motherboards. The groundbreaking partnership brings the future of computer interaction Leap Motion's incredibly fast and accurate natural user interface to millions of potential consumers around the world.

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Leap Motion's incredible speed and precision are helping fuel its momentum and leadership in the industry. Leap Motion's technology can track movements to 1/100th millimeter smaller than the tip of a pin with no visible lag time. The Leap Motion controller has a 150 degree field of view, and tracks individual hands and all 10 fingers at 290 frames per second.

Leap Motion’s commitment to innovation and exceptional quality drive us to provide the best technology to our consumers

Desktop Division Senior Director at ASUSTek said that, Leap Motion has developed an exciting technology that will truly enhance the experience customers have with their ASUS devices, opening a world of opportunity for personal use and business, from entertainment to architecture to education. Asus is proud to be one of the first companies to partner with Leap Motion.

As OEMs adopts 3-D motion control technology, they're spurring a rapid evolution in computer interface innovations and helping free the full power and potential of computing for consumers by Leap Motion’s co-founder and CEO Michael Buckwald.

This historic partnership with ASUS is an important step in building global adoption of the new computing paradigm Leap Motion's technology offers. Leap is delighted that ASUS shares their outlook on the future of human/computer interaction.

In May 2012, Leap Motion revealed its technology and controller to huge global excitement, with its introduction video garnering more than 7 million views. More than 40,000 developers worldwide has requested to work with Leap Motion, and the company has sent out 12,000 free units to developers to foster the creation of new applications.

Leap Motion has won innovation awards from Popular Science, Popular Mechanics and Fast Company, and will present a featured session at the 2013 SXSW conference.

Innovation Strategy:

Leap Motion, which created an innovative gesture control technology that measures user’s movements to an accuracy of a hundredth of a millimeter, is expanding its developer program and releasing a new software development kit. According to Michael Buckwald, CEO of the San Francisco startup, Leap Motion is giving 10,000 developers free Leap units over the next two weeks in a bid to dramatically increase the number of potential applications being designed to work with the new technology.

When Leap Motion first announced its technology, it expected the Leap would be ideal for disrupting industries like surgery, gaming, architecture, design, engineering, and more. But almost from the get go, some of the most interesting projects developers were suggesting involved things like automatically translate sign language.

Some developers proposed using the Leap to fly planes or drive cars, or to support physical rehabilitation and special needs. More than 400 people suggested using the Leap in computer aided design software the same computing challenge that led Leap co-founder and CEO David Holz to begin creating the technology in 2008.

Leap Motion has said that 14 percent of developers want to do gaming related applications, while 12 percent want to use the technology for music or video applications, 11 percent for art and design, 8 percent for science and medicine, and 6 percent for robotics.

At launch, the company plans an Apple-style app store, and more than 90 percent of developers asking for SDK’s want to sell their work through such a store. Developers have proposed more than 40,000 different applications.

These are basic movements that can be converted into gestures, and which will allow developers to leverage the technology very quickly in any number of specialized programming environments. The library is also intended to divert developers from spending unnecessary time coming up with the same type of applications again and again. A lot of developers want to reinvent the wheel.

Leap Motion plans on releasing the Leap in first quarter 2013, it says. Though it will initially sell the Leap as a stand-alone peripheral, the company clearly is hoping to partner with consumer electronics companies that can integrate the technology directly into computers. Though it has yet to decide which applications will be featured in its app store, Leap Motion did recently call out two demonstration apps that do a particularly good job of showcasing what the technology is capable of. In one test, a gaming console known as Air Harp, a user is able to play an on-screen harp simply by moving their fingers back and forth in front of their computer. In the second, a user plays a Jenga like game by making careful pinching motions in the air in front of the computer in a bid to remove blocks from a tall stack.

9. Input & Output Analysis:

Leap Motion, maker of impossibly precise motion control hardware for personal computers, is getting ready for its retail launch by turning its focus to applications.

The software is extremely thinned out, as once downloaded, the Leap software doesn’t open an app, but it instead reveals a small icon in the task bar with a pull-down menu. The only way to tell if your Leap Motion device is working is to open the visualizer and test it. The visualizer is a 3D grid that displays your finger movements with a long colorful tail. Each finger has its own color, but the device has trouble recognizing which finger is which, so you’ll usually get a different color for the same finger each time.

While the Leap didn’t usually have too much trouble sensing one, two, or even three fingers at a time, using four fingers created difficultly with the Leap as it usually didn’t pick up all four at a time. The Leap’s major disappointment, though, comes when you want to use five fingers. As advertised in its promo video, using five fingers with the Leap should not pose a problem. However, in real-world testing, the Leap almost never was able to recognize five fingers at once. While it’s not such a major problem now, this could cause havoc in the future for developers hoping to utilize all five fingers in one motion in their app.

Another problem found the failure to recognize two fingers when next to each other. It was hoped that when placing index finger next to the middle finger, the Leap would recognize the input as two separate fingers, but, unfortunately, the Leap only sees that as one finger. In the future, it will be possible to see and update that fixes this. In the meantime, though, that input option is not available. The Leap’s final flaw is its ability to recognize input in general.

The Leap claimed there is an 8-cubic feet radius on its ability to pick up inputs. This is true, but it is also very limiting. After moving your hand back more than 4 feet, the Leap stops picking up inputs completely or there is a lag in recognition.

The 4-feet limit remains on both the left and right side, as well. The Leap isn’t all negative, though. A few key features that Leap possesses show its strengths against the little competition. The Leap’s visualizer software consists of a 3D graph, for instance, with an X- and Y-axis, as well as a Z-axis. This means the Leap recognizes how far or close the hands are to the actual device. While this could very well just be a gimmick, it could turn out to be very useful and practical with enough developer support and creativity.

The Leap’s other advantage is its size. After seeing the Microsoft Kinect, most thought a gesture and motion device for computers would be of a similar or only slightly smaller size. The Leap breaks those presumptions and measures in at about the size of a normal USB stick. With the Leap is being so small, users can only imagine how it could only get smaller with the creation of the second and third generation and eventually built directly into laptops or keyboards and mouse.

Asus announcement at CES 2013 said all new PC’s will ship with the technology pre-built-in. Hopefully, though, as the technology expands and improves, Leap sees it come standard into all PCs, and eventually maybe with a little glimmering Apple logo over it.

While the Leap looks extremely promising in the promo video online, the developer unit does not have the same consumer appeal. The Leap we are testing is a beta product, but it feels more like something classify as an alpha-stage product. While it is wonderful for what it does, Leap is in the final casing enclosure, and not just a motherboard, so consumers are not getting all the features promised whether it be the ones found in the video online or written on the site. Of course, though, even if the hardware isn’t final, and it presumably isn’t, the software is still long away from version 1.0. Even more improvement is to be implemented in further versions of this product.

The Leap is the kind of device that can change the game, but the innovation cannot move forward without some major software and hardware tweaks first. Two or three hundred thousand lines of code later, Developers figured out how to use the Leap to create an interactive space around the computer, in 3D. Helps to distinguish thumb from the other fingers, and even handheld items like pencils. This allows users to interact like never before, using only natural movements. And Leap went a step further. Users will be able to create custom gestures that fit how they want to use their computer. They can even network more than one Leap device, to create even larger interaction areas

10. SWOT Analysis:

SWOT analysis (alternately SLOT analysis) is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve that objective.

From its day one it is the development of a fair condition and favorable applicability of the technology. It has much strength and covered up interest of many users to overcome the usage of various devices for input, fixing of targets and also product innovation. It faces many of a challenges the field of technology that is motivated towards making ease in the user interfaces.

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESS

AFFORDABILITY

SPEED & TIME SAVING

INCREASED EFFICIENCY

EASY UPDATE OF TECHNOLOGY

INTEGRATION

EASE OF INTERACTION

ERROR IN RECOGNITION

MULTIPLE SENSING

DEVELOPMENT OF APPLICATION

PRE INSTALLED GESTURES

ADAPTABILITY TO TECHNOLOGY

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

GLOBAL APPLICATION

PRODUCTIVE OUTPUT

INTERACTIVE APPLICATION

ATTRACTIVE FEATURES

INCREASED SCOPE

MORE COMPETITION

AVAILABILITY

FLEXIBILITY

CLOSED PRODUCT

STRENGTHS:

The affordability is the greatest strength it is made available for the users at a very affordable price.

Fast Interaction with computers that helps to save a lot of human time.

Usage of actions and gestures which increases efficiency.

Updated use of technology keeps the whole system user friendly and interactive.

Outwit the use of keyboard and mouse.

Smooth integration into future laptops and other home appliances.

Helpful in designing of 3D applications, modeling programs and other commonly used applications.

Data can be entered easily through handwritten gestures.

WEAKNESS:

Chances of error in recognizing human actions and gestures.

Inefficient when many inputs are given at a time.

The application is still in the developmental stage, further more corrects in the device has to be implemented.

User can use only pre installed gestures, to use their own gesture user has to install separate applications and drivers. Also the predefined gestures cannot be modified

There is a delay from the peoples to adapt to this technology from traditional keyboard and mouse.

OPPORTUNITIES:

Global application of technology for smart computing.

The impact of this technology results in more productive output.

There is a scope to develop many more user interactive applications.

The features of this technology will attract the gamers in future.

More of leading producers of laptops and gaming consoles look forward for this technology.

THREATS:

Kinect which is developed based on visual processing is still imposing a threat.

Lack of demand as the applications are still developing also the pre-order is only for the US customers.

Users are more flexible to keyboard and mouse and they think it is hard to adapt to this gesture controlled interaction with their computer.

The lack of advertise makes the product unknown among many peoples.

11. Conclusion & Findings:

The leap represents a significant step forward for accurate, motion sensing technology and the sensible price point means that the peoples can afford it easily at a reliable price.

The potential and many applications here are truly exciting but if the device really is going to be the revolution. In UI control that leap motion look like, then it will require some clever integration into the software we use on a daily basis

Two or three hundred thousand lines of code later, we’ve figured out how to use the Leap to create an interaction space around your computer, in 3D. Able to distinguish thumbs from fingers, and even handheld items like pencils. This allows users to interact like never before, using only natural movements.

And we went a step further. You will be able to create custom gestures that fit how you want to use your computer. You can even network more than one Leap device, to create even larger interaction areas