EyeSight Tech Brings Hand Gesture Control To Android Platform

Apple's iPhone 4 may have the gaze of the technology world at the moment, but Google's Android platform continues to grow stronger each and every day. With Android 2.2 just a few weeks away from launching, there's yet another reason to look for a DROID Incredible, Nexus One or any other Android smartphone over a new iPhone: hand control.


eyeSight Mobile Technologies was relatively unheard of here in the U.S. until this announcement, but they're bringing some extremely wild functionality to the Android platform. Basically, their new software allows the built-in phone camera to track hand gestures and convert them into commands, and since it'll work on any camera-equipped Android phone, there's no reason why your own Android smartphone should have any issue using it.

The company specializes in making Natural User Interface (NUI) solutions for mobile phones and consumer electronics devices, and while voice command has been around for years, hand commands are certainly unheard of for phones. eyeSight's solution utilizes the device's built-in camera, advanced real-time image processing and machine vision algorithms, to track the user's hand motions and convert them into commands. Users of Android devices can now silence an incoming call, navigate between GPS menus, activate their MP3 player, play games and carry many other tasks by simply swiping their hand over the device. It doesn't take much thought to realize how beneficial that could be, and since it's a pure software solution, it won't be hard to get.


eyeSight designed the code to draw very little resources and power, and with more front-facing camera phones expected, you can see how much more beneficial this will soon be. Sorry, James Bond--it looks like yet another one of your tricks just went mainstream.

eyeSight Brings Natural User Interface to Android Devices, Creating a New World of Hand Gesture Interaction
eyeSight's Technology Uses the Built-in Camera to Track Hand Gestures and Convert Them Into Commands. It Allows Handset Manufacturers to Expand Their Offerings and Improve User Experience

HERZELIYA, Israel, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- eyeSight Mobile Technologies, a developer of Natural User Interface (NUI) solutions for mobile phones and consumer electronics devices, launched today an innovative technology allowing Android device manufacturers to offer their clients for the first time control over their handsets by using simple hand gestures.

eyeSight's solution utilizes the device's built-in camera, advanced real-time image processing and machine vision algorithms, to track the user's hand motions and convert them into commands. Users of Android devices can now silence an incoming call, navigate between GPS menus, activate their MP3 player, play games and carry many other tasks by simply swiping their hand over the device.

eyeSight's technology is a pure software solution, highly optimized for mobile platforms, offering low CPU and memory requirements, which directly translate to low power consumption. The expected introduction of new Android devices with front-facing-camera by Motorola, HTC and Google will enable to fully utilize the benefits offered by eyeSight technology. The solution  enables users control their phones and navigate in documents, web pages or maps by using gesture recognition technology.

"A good technology is an invisible one. eyeSight's Touch Free Interface technology for Android-based devices introduces exactly that – a new level of interaction that is natural, intuitive and simple to use," said Itay Katz eyeSight's Founder & CEO. "Users are looking for ways to ease, improve and enjoy their day to day interaction with their mobile phone, ideally aiming to gain effortless control of the device's applications and functions, which is where eyeSight's solution comes to place."

eyeSight provides a natural and intuitive way to control portable devices and applications. As the number of applications continues to increase, users spend more time navigating complicated menus. So for instance, when using a mobile navigation system, instead of looking for a specific key or clicking specific areas on the screen, the driver  focuses on the road, and controls the device by a simple hand gesture. Moreover, while playing mobile games, eyeSight's technology enables playing by using hand motions emulating real life actions such as - throwing a ball, catching a boomerang, blocking  enemy's attacks and more. The technology has been developed to work within many Android phones' apps and provides a new, fun, and exciting way for users to easily control their favorite activities.