Kinect for Xbox has revolutionized the way people play games and now Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) wants to utilize a similar technology for laptop computers.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is currently working on a research project called SoundWave- a new technology that allows people to use and navigate their laptops with simple guestures. This project utilizes a speaker, a microphone, and audible sounds to detect frequency changes in a soundwave by using inaudible sounds. and measuring any feedback changes from from hand gestures.
Check out the video below from Microsoft to see what we mean.
This new technology is still in the early stages but it sounds quite exciting. I wonder where this project will take them and how it will further enhance the future of technology. Just like how Kinect uses motion sensors to detect movement in gameplay, SoundWave uses motion sensors to detect movement in frequency technology. In the somewhat distant future, I can see this project being applied to gaming, television viewing, and everyday computing. If SoundWave technology project continues to move forward and proves to be a success, it could eventually eliminate the need of a mouse and keyboard.
While I still think this new technology could lead the way to a whole new era in modern computers, I also see a few potential flaws that might hinder the success of the project. One key flaw is the highly-sensitive technology would make it a little bit easier to make mistakes during navigation especially if there is no precision control. Another potential problem is the fact that this relies on sound motion only.
Obviously, Soundwave is still in its early development stages and the engineers behind the project still have a long way to go. In the meantime, we hope that the engineers at Microsoft will continue to share their progresses made regarding this project.