We have seen in the past some of the things being cooked in the ovens of Microsoft Research. Augmented reality, virtual reality, advanced mapping and interfaces in alternative spaces have a common goal, and that is to put aside the keyboard and mouse. This time, it comes Digits project. In order to obtain the highest sensitivity and ability to detect possible Digits uses a bracelet with an infrared camera and a laser line generator, which enable gesture recognition in real time.

Gesture recognition has a much larger presence than we imagine. You may automatically think of Microsoft Kinect, but a digital camera make your shot when it detects a smile is also a way to recognize a specific gesture. If we let our minds float a little more, eventually reach the recurring example of "Minority Report" and the famous gesture driven interface. It may take many years, and may not even be available between home systems, but in the same way that the touch screen is displacing keys, advanced gesture recognition will return the favor to the touch screen. In regards to our hands, the Kinect lacks the resolution necessary to detect them correctly, however, Microsoft Research have created something with much greater precision: Digits.

An infrared camera, a laser scanning and inertial measurement unit is all you need the Digits to run as long as the package is installed on a bracelet at a reasonable distance from the user's hand. Although this is just a prototype, Digits can detect and recognize gestures in real time, to the nearest hundredth of an inch. In part, this is reminiscent of the great Leap Motion, but one of the most important differences is that Digits not need to be at the computer to work. In fact, do not even need to look at the device. For a smartphone, with simple gestures the user is able to tune to a different radio, change the volume or skip to the next song.



By itself, Digits can probably get a place among the game as follows control, but things get even more interesting when you consider the possibility of combining the Digits with some Google-style Glass. Dynamic gesture recognition and augmented reality is presented as a great combination, and who finds a way to "do better", you will get a substantial advantage in a market waiting to be exploited. The next step will be to evaluate methods to miniaturize the device. Will this development to remove once and for all to the keyboard and mouse? Given the status of the project, will have to wait a while to find out.

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