Touch-Enabled Windows 8, Without the Touching

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Customers afraid of leaving fingerprints all over their new Windows 8 laptops? Elliptic Labs might just have a future solution with the Windows 8 Gesture Suite, a touch-free gesture-based control system for the touchable OS.

Windows 8 GestureThe system might sound similar to the Kinect and its ilk, but Elliptic claims its solution is even better-- it uses ultrasound, with multiple microphones taking the place of cameras.

Ultrasound has a wider field of view, requires no lights, uses less power and is more responsive than camera-based alternatives according to Elliptic.

The system has touch-free gestures for each Windows 8 control, such as selecting files, accessing the Charms menu and cycling between different applications.

Currently the technology is available as an SDK for developers, as well as a "start kit" for OEMs wanting to integrate the technology into products. Elliptic hopes products with the technology will be available in 12-14 months, and hopes it will be integrated into tablets, smartphones and cars as well as laptops. In the meantime... we'll just stick to obsessively cleaning our displays.

Go Windows 8 Gesture Suite