Touchscreens are more ubiquitous in our lives than ever, but there are still some things that could stand to become a bit more hands-on. Glamos is a tiny device that uses LIDAR technology to project a kind of virtual touchscreen anywhere one is needed, turning TVs or projectors into giant motion-controlled displays that you don’t need to actually touch.
Glamos essentially works like Microsoft’s Kinect system, using light to track movement within a certain field. That’s done through LIDAR, a laser-based system that’s best known for helping autonomous vehicles navigate.
While we’ve seen (and tried out) other add-on devices that turn TVs into touchscreens, Glamos looks far more portable, easier to apply to other devices, and can register gestures without having to physically touch the screen.
Glamos itself is tiny – it measures just 37 x 27 x 34 mm (1.5 x 1.1 x 1.3 in), and weighs only 17.7 g (0.6 oz). Using a rotating mirror module, it projects a motion-sensing field that extends out in a 180-degree semi-circle up to 1 m (3.2 ft) wide. Making detections 40 times per second, the device can sense even quick motions and translate them to whatever it’s hooked up to.
The idea is that Glamos can register finger pokes and hand waves in the air in front of a large screen, and translate them into taps and swipes as though the connected device was a touchscreen. So, for example, you could play mobile games on your TV, navigate Netflix without a remote, or scroll through a recipe without touching your tablet with messy hands.
Glamos connects to these other displays in two ways. The basic model plugs in via Micro USB, while the Pro version can also connect via Bluetooth.
If all this sounds familiar, that’s probably because Leap Motion, Bixi and AirBar all do more or less the same thing. The difference is that Glamos works with a range of different devices, and the company says that its coverage is wider, and it will automatically scale based on the device it’s connected to.
Glamos is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, where it’s already raised about seven times more than its US$10,000 goal with 37 days remaining on the campaign. Pledges start at $119 for the basic or $139 for the Glamos Pro. If all goes to plan, the device should start shipping in July.
Touchscreen projector device brings gesture control to any display [New Atlas]