Toshiba demos gesture-controlled television

IFA 2008: Wave on- and off-able telly

29 August 2008 14:44 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Toshiba has used the same kind of gesture controls seen in its recent high-end Qosmio laptops to create similar gesture-based controls for television.

Shown off at IFA, the technology has been developed by Toshiba Research Europe’s Cambridge Research Laboratory.

The gesture-based interface for flat panel displays works with a single camera attached to the top of the television that "sees" the operator and responds to a set of predefined gesture such as a flat, open hand held up to the camera to stop the content playing.

Professor Roberto Cipolla, managing director at Toshiba’s Cambridge Research Laboratory says:

"The gesture interface may not replace a remote controller, but can provide an alternative way to interact with a PC or display. Imagine never having to search for the remote controller to turn the TV volume down when receiving a phone call."

The team are now working on a "real world" system that could see deployment in shops, and - eventually - homes.