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You're thinking of Leap Motion

Magic Leap is AR technology.

You mean like Leap Motion?

They shouldn't have two GUI modes based on entirely different paradigms. It's absolute madness.

Why? I could easily imagine having a media player running in Metro while I'm working on the desktop. Metro is good for stuff like that. I could have skype on there as well, etc.

A single key to switch state between "real work" and "stuff that needs occasional attention" seems like a useful thing to me, especially if I could have something like the "Leap Motion" working in the Metro interface.

Scroll lock on, enter Metro, wave fingers at screen to do something.

Scroll lock off, go back to desktop.

Try hitting your scroll lock key a few times and imagining it. That seems really powerful to me...

With the Leap Motion coming out soon, I wonder if its sales will put pressure on Microsoft release a PC adapter (or at least a cheap version of the Kinect for PCs). A link about the Leap Motion for those who haven't heard of it: https://www.leapmotion.com/

As I pointed out above, in fact that isn't even optional. It MUST be manipulating the data in order to even operate within the limits of USB.

Can you put this to rest yet? Here...

https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=9208&viewfull=1#post9208
https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=9210&viewfull=1#post9210
https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=9284&viewfull=1#post9284

First link explains how a capture was done (which was fairly simple).
The second link has frames captured from the device.
The third has a graphic to clear up how the frames are interlaced.

In short, it outputs pixel interlaced 640x480 frames (every other byte of image data goes to left then right frame; grab 1280 bytes, and you have one row of image from each left and right camera after minor post processing).
Your left with the frames from both cameras, and the magic happens on the PC in software (and/or drivers, depending on where you draw the line for what constitutes a driver).

Back to the point, there's no reason not to open source the driver - the little bit that talks to the device and gets data back. Looks like that part is going to be fairly easy to do anyway, so open drivers will likely show up soon after official release.

As I pointed out above, in fact that isn't even optional. It MUST be manipulating the data in order to even operate within the limits of USB.

Can you put this to rest yet? Here...

https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=9208&viewfull=1#post9208
https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=9210&viewfull=1#post9210
https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=9284&viewfull=1#post9284

First link explains how a capture was done (which was fairly simple).
The second link has frames captured from the device.
The third has a graphic to clear up how the frames are interlaced.

In short, it outputs pixel interlaced 640x480 frames (every other byte of image data goes to left then right frame; grab 1280 bytes, and you have one row of image from each left and right camera after minor post processing).
Your left with the frames from both cameras, and the magic happens on the PC in software (and/or drivers, depending on where you draw the line for what constitutes a driver).

Back to the point, there's no reason not to open source the driver - the little bit that talks to the device and gets data back. Looks like that part is going to be fairly easy to do anyway, so open drivers will likely show up soon after official release.

As I pointed out above, in fact that isn't even optional. It MUST be manipulating the data in order to even operate within the limits of USB.

Can you put this to rest yet? Here...

https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=9208&viewfull=1#post9208
https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=9210&viewfull=1#post9210
https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=9284&viewfull=1#post9284

First link explains how a capture was done (which was fairly simple).
The second link has frames captured from the device.
The third has a graphic to clear up how the frames are interlaced.

In short, it outputs pixel interlaced 640x480 frames (every other byte of image data goes to left then right frame; grab 1280 bytes, and you have one row of image from each left and right camera after minor post processing).
Your left with the frames from both cameras, and the magic happens on the PC in software (and/or drivers, depending on where you draw the line for what constitutes a driver).

Back to the point, there's no reason not to open source the driver - the little bit that talks to the device and gets data back. Looks like that part is going to be fairly easy to do anyway, so open drivers will likely show up soon after official release.

"... ESPECIALLY since all the fancy bits are in their software..."

Not really. An awful lot of processing is done in hardware and firmware. There is no way software could handle the load of data otherwise.

Here's two comments from leapmotion forums from the Co-Founder & CTO:
https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=7032&viewfull=1#post7032
https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=6968&viewfull=1#post6968

"Just to clear up a tiny bit of mystery. The device does not output any form of depth-map or point cloud over USB. There is no processor on the device."
and
"The developer units do not have firmware with plug-and-play legacy features right now."

The latter was in regards to comments that it may behave as a basic multitouch HID device when no leap drivers are loaded (ie. could be used on an OS without proprietary drivers)... meaning that was not true, at least not in the units that are out there now.
The former says there's no processor in the device, so it's not doing much. Granted, it's doing *something*, but it's not doing a whole bunch of image processing.

"... ESPECIALLY since all the fancy bits are in their software..."

Not really. An awful lot of processing is done in hardware and firmware. There is no way software could handle the load of data otherwise.

Here's two comments from leapmotion forums from the Co-Founder & CTO:
https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=7032&viewfull=1#post7032
https://forums.leapmotion.com/showthread.php?1091-Started-Linux-Hacking-Effort&p=6968&viewfull=1#post6968

"Just to clear up a tiny bit of mystery. The device does not output any form of depth-map or point cloud over USB. There is no processor on the device."
and
"The developer units do not have firmware with plug-and-play legacy features right now."

The latter was in regards to comments that it may behave as a basic multitouch HID device when no leap drivers are loaded (ie. could be used on an OS without proprietary drivers)... meaning that was not true, at least not in the units that are out there now.
The former says there's no processor in the device, so it's not doing much. Granted, it's doing *something*, but it's not doing a whole bunch of image processing.

Check the Linux category in the forum.
There seems to be a ground swell for Linux support. Be heard.

https://www.leapmotion.com/

And they just announced that they're shipping in May!

If you haven't heard of Leap Motion, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_d6KuiuteIA

Once you have that type of precision, I would imagine "learning" what a fist is wouldn't be quite as difficult...

Depending on your actual need, you might want to check out the Leap motion controller. It CAN track finger position, although not from the same distance, nor in the same way as the Kinect. But more granularity. https://www.leapmotion.com/

I just got my development kit from Leapmotion. Take a look at their 1m video. Pretty impressive, I would say. Also, the resolution of their sensor (1mm) seems to be much higher than that of what cameras can do today.

Touch screens are nice; especially on EPOS systems. However, a true compliment to a keyboard and mouse would be a touch-less screen; the mouse and keyboard already do 2D perfectly. What we need is a 3D controller which does not rely on contact. a controller we can use on desktops, laptops, multiple - projectors - head mounted displays and everything in between. Hell, we could use it with an android phone, streaming to your TV - something like leap motion. http://leapmotion.com/

Reminds me of

https://leapmotion.com/

(Was discussed on Slashdot a while back.)

Check out leap watch the video, still claiming that that will ship in early 2013.

... have one of these.

I don't think 640x800 will be a problem. That's per eye for a start and not focusing on a single screen image. Plus this will work differently, it will wrap around your vision.

Really I'd like to see this paired with Tobii eye tracking http://www.tobii.com/ which looked amazing the last demo I saw on line. You could maybe boost the detail where ever the eye look,s like normal eyes work, but I was thinking more game interaction since you can react and interact faster with something on screen just by looking - they should have this in main stream gaming co op games would really take off - i.e highlight an area of interest to your partner, or attack an enemy, or block an incoming attack, trace a path to use with your eyes. [or look in a direction and press a button to move towards it, movement seem to be the biggest problem this would be quit novel] etc.

Second, paired with Leap http://leapmotion.com/ http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/05/gesture-controls-get-a-huge-boost-with-new-leap-interaction-system/ if one was placed on the headset facing down it could track arm and hand positions.

Then if you could track the headsets location in a room you could design games around an arena with real movement. Now that would be awesome.

You heard it here first.

I was wondering what the point of this is, I eman can't you just plug your android phone into an HDTV and use a bluetooth controller to much the same effect. However if they had some innovative controls and different styles of play that might work well. What about pairing a phone with the console i.e. Surface or using some thing like Leap http://leapmotion.com/

You mean kinda like what LEAP is showing off?

Leap is only for your hands, and only covers 8 cubic feet. Not nearly the same thing as kinect, so referring to it as a more polished version of kinect seems a bit silly to me.

You mean kinda like what LEAP is showing off?

Just about the size of a flash drive, the Leap can distinguish your individual fingers and track your movements down to a 1/100th of a millimeter.

AKA 10 microns. A human hair is about 100 microns. 10 microns is more along the size of a grain of pollen.

It's 404ing, for now. http://live.leapmotion.com/developer-kit-application