Aside from the OS compatibility issues, this won’t work on the current Apple iPad because it does not have a front-facing camera. The tech from eyeSight uses the built-in camera on Android tablets (and Windows-based portable computers) to track and recognize hand gestures from the user. Instead of actually swiping across the touchscreen, you can just wave your hand.

This may sound like a fun, but mostly useless application for most people, but think about this: what if you are in a lab of some kind and you have toxic materials on your gloves? You can’t go and smear that toxic ooze all over the touchscreen on your tablet, but you can wave your hands around like you just don’t care.

“Users can remotely control their music and video player, browse through eBooks, manage presentations, play games, control PC apps and carry out many other tasks without touching the keyboard or touchscreen,” said Gideon Shmuel, eyeSight’s CEO. “It is ideal for functions that do not require hands-on management and offers a new and improved user experience.”

Elliptic Labs has something seemingly similar, but that uses ultrasound rather than the built-in camera.

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This past September at the IFA Berlin trade show Elliptic Labs revealed their Touchless Gesture User Interface technology (video). It allowed a user to make hand movements (gestures), similar to Microsoft’s Kinect technology; giving the user the ability to control their device by simple hand movements. The company had been working on a prototype with a reference design tablet which has now evolved into a touchless dock prototype for the Apple iPad.

The technology used in the dock is ultrasound, it creates a “touchless zone” that covers approximately one foot in front and to the side of the iPads screen. We had a chance to catch up with CEO Stian Aldrin, who explained the following; “The idea is that you use touchless gestures to operate primary functions of a docked tablet in situations like when you have wet or greasy hands in the kitchen. In general tablets are made for being handheld. When it is docked you are often walking or standing further away, and then using a finger on the screen involves a change of modality. Rather than bending down, leaning forward or picking it up you can use larger movements a little bit further away to do things like volume up or next song without changing modality.”

This technology will be shown at CES next month.  While it does look like its designed just for the iPad, think again. The hardware and sensors are “off the shelf components” and to run the UI a simple App on the tablet will do; essentially giving the ability for any device to receive commands via touchless zone gesture user interface.

[Elliptic Labs]

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